Bear (gay culture)

The International Bear Brotherhood Flag

The bear community is a subculture in the gay community. Bears are gay and bisexual men with stocky or heavyset builds, and usually have hairy bodies and facial hair. Bears often exhibit an outwardly masculine appearance. Some bears place great importance on presenting a hyper-masculine image and shun interaction with men who display effeminate style and mannerisms. Bears are typically contrasted with twinks.

There is much debate as to the definition of a bear, with some saying that anyone who identifies themselves as a bear is a bear, and others arguing that bears must have certain physical characteristics, such as a stocky build, hairy chest, and facial hair.

Origins and behavior

The bear community originated in San Francisco in the 1970s as an outgrowth of the leather and "girth and mirth" communities. It was created by men who felt that mainstream gay culture was unwelcoming to men who did not fit a particular bodily norm (thin, hairless, and young). In turn, some people both in and out of the bear community criticize it as tending to exclude people who do not fit into their own standards of what a "real man" is.

Some bears dissociate themselves from the gay community at large; bears often have their own local bars and clubs, and there are many social events geared towards bears where they can socialize with other members of the bear community. Some of these events, often referred to as "bear gatherings" or "bear runs," have beauty pageants where titles and sashes (some made of leather) are given out to winners. (Example: "Mr. Washington, D.C. Bear, 2002.")

The bear community has spread all over the world, with bear clubs in North America, Australia, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Bear clubs often serve as social and sexual networks for older, hairier, heavier gay and bisexual men, and members contribute to their local gay communities through fundraising and other functions. Bear events are common in those areas and lots of flux and interaction occur between members of the different communities.

References in pop culture

Though not generally widely known outside of the gay community, the "bear" concept has surfaced in pop culture.

Television

On the American television show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, a stocky and hairy man receiving a makeover was informed by one of the hosts that, "In our community, you would be called a cub!"
In The Simpsons episode "Three Gays of the Condo", Homer runs into Waylon Smithers in the gay part of town; one of Smithers' friends asks, "Hey Waylon, who's the bear? Woof!"
In American Wedding, a character (appropriately named Bear) at a gay bar flirts with Stifler, after Stifler growls at him. The 'woof' can be heard.
In the British television show Absolutely Fabulous, during the episode entitled "Gay", the character of Bo (Mo Gaffney) attempts to put her husband Marshall's potential homosexual tendencies to the test by setting him up on a date with a "daddy bear".
The Kids in the Hall Season 5 episode 2 1994, a skit called Grizzly showed Kevin McDonnald being "attacked by a bear" in a gay bar and surviving by flashing back to his Boy Scout training, eventually succumbing by "playing dead". transcript

In The L Word, season three's episode 2 (Lost Weekend), characters Jenny and Moira enter a club's "Bear Night" and dance among large, bearded men.

Books

Les K. Wright edited two nonfiction anthologies, The Bear Book: Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture (1997, ISBN 1560238909), and The Bear Book 2 (2001, ISBN 1560231653), both from Haworth Press.
Ray Kampf authored The Bear Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Those Who Are Husky, Hairy and Homosexual, and Those Who Love 'Em (2000, ISBN 1560239972).
Ron Jackson Suresha authored a 2002 nonfiction anthology, Bears on Bears: Interviews & Discussions (ISBN 1555835783), 25 dialogues with 57 bear-identified men and bear-lovers from around the world, including interviews with comedian Bruce Vilanch, porn model Jack Radcliffe, and Survivor star Richard Hatch. Suresha edited two fiction anthologies, Bearotica (2002, ISBN 1555835775), and Bear Lust (2004, ISBN 1555838189), also published by Alyson Publications.
Bear Like Me a 2003 novel by Jonathan Cohen (ISBN 1560234180), Southern Tier Editions (Fiction)
In the book I'm A Believer by Jessica Adams (ISBN 0312321074), one of the central characters is a bear.
More Bear Cookin': Bigger and Better (ISBN 1560233265) a 2005 cookbook by PJ Gray, illustrated by Terry J

Periodicals

In August 2003, weblogger Andrew Sullivan acknowledged himself a bear in an article on the bear community for Salon.com.
A Bear's Life 2005, magazine, Bear Brother's Enterprises Ltd. [1]

Film

Cachorro (Bear Cub), dir. Miguel Abaladejo, Spain, 2004 website (Official Website, Spanish) website (Official Website, English)

website (IMDb main details page)

A Dirty Shame, dir. John Waters, U.S., 2004 - film that features men from the bear scene, although there has been some debate whether this is a positive portrayal

There are also many short films about bears which can be seen in film festivals (gay/queer film festivals as well as local/international film festivals) including:

Men on Fur on Men, dirs. Martin Borden and Clark Niklolai, Canada, 2003, miniDV, 8 mins.
A Bear’s Story, dir. Vincent Mtzlpick, US, 2003, video, 21 mins Website.
Porn Proof, dir. Chris Street, Canada, 2003, miniDV, 3 mins.
More Than Hair Care Products, dir. Pendra Wilson, Canada, 2003, miniDV, 5 mins.
Hard Fat, dir. Frederic Moffet, Canada, 2001, video, 23 mins.
Lazy Bear 2002, dir. Greg Garcia, US, 2002, DVD, 18 mins.
Making of “A Bear’s Story”, dir. Village TV, US, 2003, video, 7 mins.
My Heart the Cook, dirs. Jerry McCadden and Clark Nikolai, Canada, 2001, miniDV, 2 mins.

Terminology

Some terminology relating to the bear community includes:

bear - a man with a beard or van Dyck, typically with a hairy chest and body and a stocky or heavyset build; often older (or older looking) and displaying a masculine appearance and mannerisms.
chaser - a term that refers to someone who is not a bear, cub, or otter, but is sexually or romantically attracted to them (this term is often used in various communities to describe an outsider who has sexual attraction to people within that community).
cub - a younger (or younger looking) version of a bear, typically but not always with a smaller frame. The term is sometimes used to imply the passive partner in a relationship.
daddybear - is an older more husky guy sometimes looking for a daddy/son relationship or a Bearcub.
panda bear - an Asian bear.
muscle bear - a muscular bear.
muscle cub - a muscular cub.
otter - a man who is hairy, but is not large or stocky - typically thinner, or with lean muscle.
papa bear - see daddybear
polar bear - is an older guy with white or grey fur/beard.
pocket bear - shorter bear.
manatee - heavyset, hairless bear (usually derogatory)
sugar bear - a "sugar daddy" bear; a bear who wants the company of a younger or more traditionally attractive male or "chaser" in exchange for favors/gifts
woof! - A greeting sometimes used when a bear spots another bear in public and wants to express physical attraction. He will make a growling noise ("Grrrr!") or say "Woof!"
fluffy - A camp or effeminate bear (also sometimes used as a derogatory name for bears)

Bear Codes

"Bear codes" are sometimes used in e-mail (often as part of a signature block), web postings, and online profiles to identify various bear-related attributes of the author or poster. See, e.g., "The Bear Codes" on the Resources for Bears Web site. A sample bear code is:

B4 s- m g++ w d+c t+ f+ k+ r e+(+?)

Bear Code may be the earliest example of Internet self-classification codes. Familiarity with this classification system is concentrated in the subcommunity of bears who were early adopters of Internet communications, and is not widespread within the general community.

External links