The bear community is a masculinist subculture in the gay community. Bears are usually mature gay or bisexual men with hairy bodies and facial hair; some are heavy-set, but that is not a requirement. Bears often exhibit an outwardly masculine appearance. Some bears place great importance on presenting a hyper-masculine image and shun interaction with men who display effeminate style and mannerisms. Other bears do not.

There is much debate in the gay community as to the definition of a bear: some say anyone who identifies himself as a bear is one, while others argue that bears must have certain physical characteristics--such as a hairy chest and face--and a certain mode of dress and behavior.

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The bear community originated in San Francisco in the 1980s as an outgrowth of the gay biker and then later the leather and "girth and mirth" communities. It was created by men who felt that mainstream gay culture was unwelcoming to men who did not fit a particular bodily norm (hairless, and young). Body wasting among men living with AIDS may have been another reason for the popularity of the bear look.

Photographer and researcher Chris Nelson and his partner Richard Bulger started "Bear Magazine"--originally a xerox-copied flyer--from their home in San Francisco's North Beach in the 1980s. Richard and Chris took the magazine to a high-gloss format which was distributed throughout the world. Blue-collar, working-class men often appeared in the magazine, which usually did not depict gay bodybuilders or leathermen. Richard and his friend Rick Redewill, who had founded San Francisco's "Lone Star Saloon," found themselves with a huge success; the Lone Star became "ground zero" for the west coast bear scene. In its early years, the Lone Star was the home bar of the Rainbow Motorcycle Club. The bar did not play the dance music typically found in other gay clubs; only hard rock and heavy metal music was played. After Rick died and the bar was sold, the music broadened to include country, blues, pop, soul and oldies with a base of classic rock--but no disco. By then "Bear Magazine" had sold to Bear-Dog Hoffman, who developed the Brush Creek Media empire into several special-interest gay magazines, as well as a video series. When "Bear Magazine" ceased publication in 2000, its former staff members started "100% Beef." [1]

At the onset of the bear movement, some bears separated from the gay community at large, forming clubs to create social and sexual opportunities for their own. Many clubs are loosely organized social groups; others are modeled on leather back-patch clubs, with a strict set of bylaws, membership requirements, and charities. Bear clubs often sponsor large yearly events--"bear runs" or "bear gatherings" like the annual Lazybear event--drawing regional, national and international visitors. And many events attract a significant bear following, such as Southern Decadence in New Orleans. A feature at many bear events is a "bear contest," a sort of hyper-masculine beauty pageant awarding titles and sashes (often made of leather) to winners. Example: "Mr. Washington, D.C. Bear, 2006.")
Mr. DC Bear Cub 2006 and Mr. DC Bear 2006.
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Mr. DC Bear Cub 2006 and Mr. DC Bear 2006.

Gay leatherbears have competed in leather contests, and musclebears have a subculture driven by websites like Big Musclebears [2].

The bear subculture evolved long before the internet became popular, but can be closely tied to the growth of online social networking. Gay men who felt they were not welcome at their local gay meeting places (or who just wanted a quick hookup) found easy access to and acceptance from similar people online. Older gay men were quick to pick up on the online bear community, but bears and "wannabe" bears of all ages are part of it.

The bear community has spread all over the world, with bear clubs in North America, Australia, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Bear clubs often serve as social and sexual networks for older, hairier, sometimes heavier gay and bisexual men, and members contribute to their local gay communities through fundraising and other functions. Bear events are common in heavily-gay communities, and lots of flux and interaction occur between members of the different subcommunities. On the IRC network Efnet, the chat room #bearcave is an example of an internet-based bear club.

The gay bear community constitutes a minor commercial market. It offers T-shirts and other accessories as well as calendars and porn movies featuring bear icons, e.g., Jack Radcliffe. Catalina Video has a bear-themed line: the "Furry Features Series."

As more gay men have identified as bears, more bars, especially leather or western bars, have become bear-friendly. Some bars cater specifically to bear patrons. As bears have become more common in the larger gay culture, and as more gay and bisexual men identify as bears, bears have not segregated themselves as much as they once did. Gay bars are now a mainstream element of the gay community at large.

Ironically, discrimination has now increased within the bear community as some men who identify as "bears" or "musclebears" do not welcome larger-bodied bears (see Chubby culture) at their events.

A common criticism of the bear community is that some bear-identified men tend to exclude men who do not fit their standards of what a "real bear" is. Fat (or lack of it) is a political issue among bears, some of whom see their overweight condition as a form of self-acceptance. Some also note a lack of racial diversity in the bear community, believing this to be a result of a white beauty standard.