Bear Culture 101 (no prerequise) - The Gay & Lbian Review

Contents:

• I AM (NOT) A GAY BEAR
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• GAY BEAR VIOS: THE BT OF THE BT

I AM (NOT) A GAY BEAR

This visual intifitn wh the gay bear subculture seems timely, for 2010 appears to be my Ann Ursi, Year of the Bear.

A “bear” is a hairy, beard, brawny-to-bulky gay man, ually displayg aspects of tradnal masculy. Their work mak clear that the bear muny began to alce San Francis the late 1980’s, fluenced by gay biker clubs and created by men who did not f or did not appreciate the prevailg gay athetic that valorized slenr, smooth-bodied youths. The proto-bears did not relate to the well-groomed urban gay liftyle; they found nventnal masculy many quali worth prervg.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

Gay social groups lled bear clubs anized ci like Los Angel, Hoton, and New York, some servg whole stat or regns like Connecticut’s bear club, the Northeast Ursamen, that began 18 years ago. Sponsored by the clubs, weekend gathergs lled “bear ns” began, first gay-iendly spots like the Rsian River, Provcetown, and San Francis, and later plac where you might never expect such gathergs to occur, such as Roanoke, Virgia, where the lol club, Virgia Mounta Bears, has twice hosted an annual weekend event lled Mounta Bear Madns.

GAY BEAR VIOS: THE BT OF THE BT

At the same time that I was absorbg the manly woodland fluenc, I was also explorg gay bars and g to terms wh my queer inty.