John-John Punki: Mr. Eagle NYC 2017

A very vivacious and animated Mr. Eagle, John-John Punki is thrilled to hold the title and is taking on the responsibility full force! I found him extraordinarily friendly and overwhelmingly funny. Good choice for those who selected him!

What does it mean to you to be the new Mr. Eagle?
First of all, it’s very exciting! To me I think of it as a really big honor, mainly because The Eagle itself has such a legendary reputation, not just in New York, but all over. When I go to different leather events, some of the international contests or just like Washington, D.C., there are people from all over the world that know so much about The Eagle, because it has a history. For me being Mr. Eagle, I represent something that holds so much history and sexiness. It’s an honor. For me it means that through 2017 I get to uphold that honor.

What made you decide to enter the contest?
I first joined the leather community in 2011. My introduction to it was at the Folsom Street East fair. I went there for the first time and met this group of guys that were from a club called Onyx. Onyx is basically a leather club for gay, bisexual, transgender men of color. They stopped me as I was walking by and gave me information, and then I ended up joining their club. Being a member of the club, I was able to meet a lot of great guys. I made so many friendships, and I became the president of that club. I became president of the North East chapter.

You don’t sound black; you sound Latino.
I am. The club was predominately for black men. I say predominately because most of the members are black men. But it’s also for other men that identify as men of color: for example, Latino, Asian, Indian. So in the North East chapter there was a sprinkle of Latinos in there. There were four of us. I was one of those sprinkles. At least in the North East chapter I was the youngest member. I’m 27 now, and this was back in 2014. I did that, and then a little bit after I started getting active and involved in the bear community.

So are you a bear or a bear cub?
That’s an interesting question. I would say more of a cub, only because I think that cubs are not so heavy. I’m also short. Even though the height doesn’t have much to do with if you were a cub or a bear, it’s more of basically your stomach size. So I was in that community, and I was going to a bar called The Rock Bar in the West Village. They had the first title called The Mr. Rock Bear Contest. I competed, and I won. I did that for a year, and then that year ended, and I spent more time going to the Eagle. I decided my roots were in the leather community, the fetish, kink—all of that, that’s who I am. I love the Eagle. They just have an awesome atmosphere, and all the former Mr. Eagles did such a great job. I wanted to contribute to that. I decided that this is my time to do it. I thought about it earlier, but I felt that I wasn’t ready. But I am ready now.

What are your responsibilities as Mr. Eagle?
I represent the Eagle bar. I host events. I’m going to be meeting with the owner soon to talk about some of my ideas for some of the events, to see what we could do. So there is the event aspect, and then although this is not required, there’s [also] the fundraising aspect. The bar is about having a fun time, creating that space where whoever can have a good time, but also, what is the bar doing to give back to the community? One of their fundraising efforts is Cycle for the Cause, where they raise money for the LGBT center and for HIV prevention or HIV/AIDS services. As Mr. Eagle, I definitely will be supporting that cause. If there are any other causes, I will help bring that to the Eagle bar if they want to put some effort behind that. So there is coordinating bar parties, the fundraising aspect, and then there is going out to the community and going out to other events. Today I’m going to Asbury Park, because they are having their annual Mr. and Mrs. Leather contest. I’m going with my Eagle sash and the Eagle vest, and I’m going over there to represent the bar in New York.

You don’t have a crown too, do you?
No.

A whip?
Maybe, in my closet full of other crazy things. So I will be there this weekend, and I will be going to other events that are happening just representing the bar.

For more information

facebook.com/eaglenyc2017
IG: @punki_john
[email protected]