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

Contents:

• WHAT EXACTLY IS THE GAY BEAR BROTHERHOOD PRI FLAG, AND WHAT DO IT MEAN?
• GAY BEAR - BEAR PRI MERCHANDISE. BEAR PRI JEWELRY, RGS, CLOTH, BEAR PRI FLAGS, BRACELETS, PENDANTS, NECKLAC, CLOTHG, HATS, APPAREL & PRI GEAR.
• BEAR PRI / BEAR PAW PATCH IRON ON - GAY BEAR PRI 3" PATCH ROUND - LGBT GAY - APPAREL ACCSORI
• BEAR PRI FLAG / GAY PRI (PAW SYMBOL) - 3 X 5 POLYTER FLAG
• GAY BEAR T-SHIRT - LGBT PAW BAR

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE GAY BEAR BROTHERHOOD PRI FLAG, AND WHAT DO IT MEAN?

A bear is a bigger, equently hairier guy who embodi raw masculy gay culture. Members of bear clubs equently e them as social and sexual works, and by participatg fund-raisg events and other activi, they may support their lol homosexual muni. Nowadays, the majory of gay-iendly mpgrounds host some kd of bear-related activy throughout their operatg season.

GAY BEAR - BEAR PRI MERCHANDISE. BEAR PRI JEWELRY, RGS, CLOTH, BEAR PRI FLAGS, BRACELETS, PENDANTS, NECKLAC, CLOTHG, HATS, APPAREL & PRI GEAR.

The Bear flag is actually tramarked as per The Bear Handbook: A Comprehensive Gui for Those Who Are Hky, Hairy and Homosexual, and Those Who Love ‘Em by Ray Kampf. One such flag is the Gay Bear Brotherhood Pri Flag – a flag you might already have seen flown at any number of pri ftivals around the world, om Bangkok to Reykjavik…and everywhere between! In gay culture, a bear is a larger and often hairier man who projects an image of gged masculy.

Sendary sex attribut such as the growth of body hair and facial hair (which are typilly nsired “bear” characteristics) are celebrated gay bear culture. 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.

BEAR PRI / BEAR PAW PATCH IRON ON - GAY BEAR PRI 3" PATCH ROUND - LGBT GAY - APPAREL ACCSORI

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.

BEAR PRI FLAG / GAY PRI (PAW SYMBOL) - 3 X 5 POLYTER FLAG

The proto-bears did not relate to the well-groomed urban gay liftyle; they found nventnal masculy many quali worth prervg. 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 T-SHIRT - LGBT PAW BAR

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. The mastream gay bars I most often equented left me ld. While the larger gay muny had never ma me feel wele, bears ma me feel as if I uld be two thgs that had always seemed irrencilable: my homosexualy and my untry roots.

The bear muny, like the leather world, has also ma me ls apologetic for cherishg many aspects of tradnal manhood, which I’d been raised to admire and which I emulated to some extent my own homomascule genr evolutn.