A Lerature Review of Health Risks the Bear Communy, a Gay Subculture - PMC

Contents:

• SAVE GAY BARS
• PHYSIL, BEHAVRAL, AND PSYCHOLOGIL TRAS OF GAY MEN INTIFYG AS BEARS
• GAY BEAR VIOS: THE BT OF THE BT
• GAY 'BEARS' BARE ALL BODY-POSIVE ART EXHIB
• A LERATURE REVIEW OF HEALTH RISKS THE BEAR COMMUNY, A GAY SUBCULTURE

SAVE GAY BARS

It is the missn of Carola Bear Lodge to provi opportuni for s members to socialize a safe hospable settg; to project a posive image and crease awarens of the bear subculture: and to ntribute to the betterment of the gay muny and society as a whole. We also feel that is important to prent a posive image to the gay muny and the muny at large. The gay bear "scene" has moved om subculture to the gay mastream the past few years, and the Carolas this is no different, thanks part to large-sle events like Bear Hunt Weekend.

At this pot, beard, hky guys domate much of Carolas gay party ns or excursns, om the mountas to the beach, bears flock om all over to go to the awome "bear ns. Des om now, I’ll look back on my g out and my g of age this cy and I’ll be thankful for Gay Bars – where I have shared lghs and gossip wh iends, doled out dollar bills to drag performers and, on more than one ocsn, shed dnken tears after a strsful week. >>>> Wolf:: A lean, mascule gay man who is attracted to bears and volved the bear scene.

Notably prent pagan muni where beg gay is predomantly accepted. There are between four and six stag to g out as gay, acrdg to people who study the sorts of thgs. about their sexualy, figure out they’re gay, accept that they are and fally, take pri .

PHYSIL, BEHAVRAL, AND PSYCHOLOGIL TRAS OF GAY MEN INTIFYG AS BEARS

But for many gay men, cludg the photographer Alan Charlworth, there’s. Charlworth knew about gay culture me om televisn shows like “Will and Grace.

GAY BEAR VIOS: THE BT OF THE BT

gay men as eher illy effemate, or supersculpted and image nsc. Charlworth remaed nfed, first about his sexualy, then about his place wh gay culture, until he stumbled upon a Web se dited to “bears. Charlworth, 30, fely don’t look like that ubiquo image of the stereotypil gay man, but he’s not large or hairy, eher.

GAY 'BEARS' BARE ALL BODY-POSIVE ART EXHIB

He said, for all their disda for superficial gay culture, Bears n be obssively body-foced,. He said he now se the culture as a way for gay men to be accepted as part of a group, no matter what. It’s about the same qutn that he stggled wh back the Philalphia suburbs, and one that so many other gay men grapple wh throughout their liv: if beg gay isn’t about nformg to the stereotyp.

Published fal eded form as:PMCID: PMC5442596NIHMSID: NIHMS860386AbstractThe Bear muny exists as a subculture reactn to the larger gay muny. It rejects the normative ialized male bety revered by mastream gay men.

A LERATURE REVIEW OF HEALTH RISKS THE BEAR COMMUNY, A GAY SUBCULTURE

While qualative data document such self-intifiers as mascule-actg gay men who weigh more and have more body hair, there has to date been no quantative analysis of this group’s characteristics.