Myth: Lbian, gay and bisexual people n be intified by certa mannerisms or physil characteristics. People who are lbian, gay or bisexual e as many different shap, lors and siz as do people who are heterosexual.
Contents:
- PHYSIL, BEHAVRAL, AND PSYCHOLOGIL TRAS OF GAY MEN INTIFYG AS BEARS
- PHYSIL, BEHAVRAL, AND PSYCHOLOGIL TRAS OF GAY MEN INTIFYG AS BEARS
- WHAT ARE THE PHYSIL CHARACTERISTICS OF GAYS?
- GAY MALE ATTRACTN TOWARD MCULAR MEN: DO MATG NTEXT MATTER?
- THE PHYSIL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF LBIAN, GAY MALE, AND BISEXUAL (LGB) OLR ADULTS: THE ROLE OF KEY HEALTH DITORS AND RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS
- THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSIL BODY TRAS AND MASCULY ON ANAL SEX ROL GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
- GAY BRAS STCTURED LIKE THOSE OF THE OPPOSE SEX
PHYSIL, BEHAVRAL, AND PSYCHOLOGIL TRAS OF GAY MEN INTIFYG AS BEARS
The Bear muny exists as a subculture reactn to the larger gay muny. It rejects the normative ialized male bety revered by mastream gay men. While qualative data document such self-intifiers as mascule-actg gay men who weigh more and have more body hair, there has to date … * gay physical attributes *
Published fal eded form as:PMCID: PMC5442596NIHMSID: NIHMS860386AbstractThe Bear muny exists as a subculture reactn to the larger gay muny.
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.
PHYSIL, BEHAVRAL, AND PSYCHOLOGIL TRAS OF GAY MEN INTIFYG AS BEARS
* gay physical attributes *
In rponse, we nducted two large-sle studi of gay men intifyg as Bears (n = 469) to survey their self-reported physil, behavral, and psychologil tras.
Keywords: Bears, Gay Culture, Gay and Bisexual Men, Self-teem, Masculy, ObyINTRODUCTIONThe gay muny is ultimately a heterogeneo one wh many subgroups and subcultur—one of the monali among them beg the sire to have same-sex enunters.
Bee there is a arth of general rearch regardg this muny, and no studi to date that e quantative methods, we cid to explore this muny quantatively—g an Inter-nvenience sample, followed by a purposive suggted, the Bear culture exhibs and valu a greater sense of domant (but not necsarily domeerg) “thentic masculy” parison to other subcultur wh the gay muny (e. In rponse and ntrast wh Leathermen, Bears mata their mascule inty whout adoptg negative hypermascule tennci to acmodate all partners, spe their size or body is some theoretil support for why the Bear inty spltered om the gay male mastream culture.
WHAT ARE THE PHYSIL CHARACTERISTICS OF GAYS?
” Bears may do somethg siar by alterg the meang of their heavier, shorter, and hairier physiqu, relative to mastream gays.
G., twks, partyboys, A-listers) that are anthetil to, and even antagonistic towards Bears, men who are hairier and heavier exist and adopt an inty to afont the stereotypil “alpha” gay male.
GAY MALE ATTRACTN TOWARD MCULAR MEN: DO MATG NTEXT MATTER?
Popular culture, the media, and Wtern hetero- and homosexual expectatns have normalized the ial male body as one that is lean, mcular, and v-shaped (wh broad shoulrs, a narrow waist, and a flat but well-fed stomach) (Olivardia, Pope, Borowiecki, & Cohane, 2000).
THE PHYSIL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF LBIAN, GAY MALE, AND BISEXUAL (LGB) OLR ADULTS: THE ROLE OF KEY HEALTH DITORS AND RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS
G., poor self-image/self-teem) velop both heterosexual and homosexual men exhibg ls sirable physil tras (Beren, Hayn, Wilfley, & Grilo, 1996; Morrison, Morrison, & Sager, 2004; Pepl et al., 2009; Weer, 2009; Yelland & Tiggemann, 2003). However, where mastream gay men report wantg partners wh those prevly stated, admired or revered characteristics (Moskowz, Rieger, & Seal, 2009), Bears may not (Manley et al., 2007).
THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSIL BODY TRAS AND MASCULY ON ANAL SEX ROL GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
Whereas mastream gay men often do not engage sired or preferred sexual behavrs bee of fears of rejectn or judgment (Kamski, Chapman, Hayn, & Own, 2004), those the more acceptg Bear muny reject the fears due to their beg ultimately “feme” nature (Hennen, 2005). G., uratn, fistg, voyrism, exhibnism) (Grov, Parsons, & Bimbi, 2010) to the active existence of the Bear muny and regnn of this subculture by the larger gay/bisexual male culture, more rearch is need to explore the gree to which the prevly mentned physil, behavral, and psychologil differenc actually exist.
GAY BRAS STCTURED LIKE THOSE OF THE OPPOSE SEX
In explorg the smaller subcultur of the larger gay/bisexual male culture, soclogy, psychology, and even public health n better expla and addrs the needs of men wh same-sex attractns.
Specifilly, our first study was more exploratory and foced on the physil tras, partner selectn, and rejectn creria of gay men (wh which we llected enough Bears for analys).