Anyone who has hooked up or befriended a gay bear knows they’re proud of their beards, furry chests, and burlier bellies. In fact, they often act as the gatekeepers of queer subcultures, organizing events and parties celebrating identity – in their case, rugged masculinity.
Whether you believe you might be a bear or want to get under one, here’s all the fuzz on the gay bear community and its significance to queer culture.
What are gay bears?
Urban Dictionary says a gay bear is a hairy and sizeable gay man. However, their physicality varies depending on the person, and you’ll find many self-identifying gay bears with different degrees of hair, fat, and muscle.
And that brings us to the subcategories manifested in the bear kingdom to enhance community further and help individuals express attraction.
- Cubs: As the name suggests, cubs are often shorter, younger, or less masculine-looking (like a bear in progress). A cub might simply be the more passive partner in a relationship.
- Muscle bears: A muscle bear embodies the characteristics of a gay bear but with a muscular physique.
- Otters: Folks who are leaner, have smaller builds, and are less hairy. Otters are kind of like the little brothers of bears.
- Polar bears: Think older bears – a bear silver daddy, if you will. The “polar” implies gray hair.
The origins of gay bear culture
You can trace the origins of the bear identity to an article published in 1979 in the Advocate by George Mazze exploring queer personality stereotypes through zoo animals. In “Whose Who at the Zoo,” the author equated seven queer personality types to animals, and the profile of bears made the gays run wild.
Initially, there was a connotation between bear culture and the aesthetic of the gay working class in rural America. Historically, they tended to be rooted in whiteness, but any ethnic group can identify.
The term was popularized with the founding of Bear Magazine by Richard Bulger and his then-partner Chris Nelson in 1987, which opened the curtains to the bear lifestyle and presented a tug-o-war between identity and affiliation. Some folks considered untamed masculinity an uncompromisable aspect, while others were more inclusive and lenient in who could identify as a bear.
Ultimately, it wasn’t any public figure but the gay bears themselves that propelled the identity into a thriving subculture, curating associations and events that were just as much about sex and pleasure as they were about forming social connections and a sense of belonging.
The Bear History Project, founded by Les K. Wright in 1995, documented the evolution and is archived in the Human Sexuality Collection at Cornell University.
Why do people identify as gay bears?
Simply put, gay subcultures are a way for people to express their physicality in a sexy and fun manner. As liberated as gay sexuality can be, it’s not free from vanity and the toxic grip of societal beauty standards putting smooth, chiseled bodies on a pedestal.
Larger, hairier folks wanted to own their bodies and celebrate them as intentional in a world that presented six-pack abs as the end goal for male body types. The rejection of mainstream beauty standards empowered unconventional physiques to step into their sex appeal and find mates who lusted after them.
In other words, gay men identified as bears because it made them feel sexy and welcomed them to be around a community that agreed.
Common misconceptions about gay bears
As with anything queer, haters will hate and cast judgments without facts. Gay bears aren’t spared from misconceptions and stereotypes, including from fellow gay men.
A good rule of thumb is to consider any generic assumption about a group of people as questionable at best. For example, you might encounter rumors that bears are less unhygienic because they may embrace manly body odor, but avoiding cologne or deodorant doesn’t mean you don’t shower or use soap.
Another dangerous misconception is that they engage in kinkier or more promiscuous sexual practices than the average gay, and that’s also false. Gay subcultures are entwined with pleasure and sex, but that’s the sexual liberation of queerness, not affected by how much body fat or hair a person has. Your sex drive is in your libido.
Lastly, don’t assume a gay bear is insecure or confident or only plays with other bears; most likely, they’re multifaceted humans who can achieve an erection with various types of men, including twinks.
Notable gay bears in pop culture
Parks & Recreation‘s Nick Offerman plays a classic bear daddy on and off screen
Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn growls in Polar Bear glory
Country music star Zach Brown is proof we ride bears to save horses in gay culture
Embracing the fuzzy world of gay bears
Gay bears are the pioneers of gay subcultures, and their larger, hairier bodies were the face of a social revolution when it came to body positivity and deviating from toxic beauty standards.
As intimidating as their prominent masculine aesthetic can be, bears are also some of the warmest, kindest, and most welcoming people you will meet in the LGBTQ+ community.
Understanding gay bears and their subcategories will help you connect with gay or bisexual men, take ownership of your physicality, and empower your sexuality. If you’re looking to meet with gay bears, apps like Scruff and Growlr are great places to start.
Related*
Teacher fired after talking to high school class about gay bears
Telling kids that big, hairy gay men often identify as “bears” was evidently too much for some parents.
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Godabed
Besides what Queerty has shown bears are not all white… They also come from diverse backgrounds.
Kangol2
Thank you! It’s always the same with this site.
And gay should be the default with “bears.” “Straight bears” acknowledging or calling themselves “bears” is more of an outlier or anomaly than gay ones.
Prowelsh56
Now to ask about the history of “Girth & Mirth” lonng forgotten it seems as that sub culture was transitioned into the bear group…and as a community do we love our groups..
powersthatbe
“For example, you might encounter rumors that bears are less unhygienic because they may embrace manly body odor, but avoiding cologne or deodorant doesn’t mean you don’t shower or use soap.”
I think this should say “less hygienic” or just “unhygienic” without the ‘less’.
ggore
The whole “bear thing” was a reaction to the musclebound body-god aesthetic that ruled the gay world for a while, and still does to some effect. Bears are known for their friendliness to others and generally total lack of attitude. If you walk up to a muscle-bunny you are likely to be slathered with attitude, totally ignored, or looked up and down and dismissed as not being perfect enough for someone who goes to the gym 9 times per week and their little group of like-minded queens. Walk up to a group of bears and you will be guaranteed to be introduced to some and your presence and worth will definitely be acknowledged. Gays are notoriously clique-y but the bears are a total breath of fresh air and slap at that type of bullying.
Bill
It’s been my experience with the Las Vegas bears that they are as clique-y as any gay group and are not welcoming, and apparently think they are hotter than me, in great condition and at an traditionally ideal weight, because of their very obesity and excess of body hair
scotty
this bear likes twinks. always have, always will. thanks to oakenbehr (RIP) for helping me find my way some time ago.