Blatino Erotica Awards to come to an end in 2020

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May 16, 2019 | The Biz

Blatino Erotica Awards to come to an end in 2020

The Blatino Erotica Awards, held each year at the beginning of May, will return one last time to recognize men of color in gay porn. The event is coming to an end in 2020.

The awards show is part of the weekend-long Blatino Oasis, which was founded in 2007.

"We started Blatino Oasis in 2007, as a gay and bisexual men of color retreat, far from urban life, yet filled with all of the amenities a man could need from numerous luxury hotels to clothing optional resorts," explained the event's website. "Over the years, Blatino Oasis has become California's largest gay/bi men of color getaway, attracting over a thousand gay and bisexual men from around the world."

However, producer and promoter Joe Hawkins is ready to move on. He will be focusing on a new venture: running Oakland, California’s first LGBT community center, which he helped create in 2017.

“For 30 years, I have worked to create services that empower black people, LGBTQ people and low-income people in my community,” he said. “I have also created many entertainment-related events, including Blatino Oasis. Leading our new LGBTQ community center has made it very clear to me that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.”

His party promotion days are not over, as he will launch a men’s wellness retreat in Palm Springs over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January, 2020.

This year, the Awards recognized Jacen Zhu and Max Konnor.

Zhu was celebrated for his “natural beauty, raw sexuality, adept versatility on film and his ability to work with multiple major studios."

See Jacen Zhu's galleries here!

And Konnor was described as "handsome, built and hung," who "knows how to use all three qualities to his advantage. Offscreen, we appreciate how unapologetically vocal he is regarding race issues, to include calling out racism when he encounters it."