What Is a Bear in Gay Culture?

Polar, brown, grizzly, Pooh — all are famous bears for one reason or another. But none of them are gay bears (that we know of).

A gay bear is an entirely different beast. The (sometimes) gentle giants of the LGBTQ community, bears are by far one of the most recognizable subcultures of gay and bisexual men, right up there with twinks and pups.

We’ll explain the ecology of the gay bear so you don’t hibernate on the cuddliest members of the LGBTQ community.

What is a bear? Gay terminology 101

If you’re attempting to identify a bear in the wild, there are a few things you should always look out for. First and foremost: body hair. Although it might not always be on the head, look for it on the shoulders, knees, and toes. If you find yourself in a sea of beards and mustaches, chances are, you’re in bear country.

You’ll also know because, just like bears (animal), bears (gay) can be sizeable. Big bellies, legs, arms, and asses are all signs that you might be in a bear cave.

Of course, bears are so much more than their bodies (although we love a good bear body). But beyond their physical markers, bears’ personalities are as diverse as any other clade’s.

The history of bears

As long as there have been gay men, there have been bears. We’d bet money Goliath was just a misunderstood bear.

Although hairy gay men have always been around, they haven’t always been called bears. What were they called before? We’re not sure. We only know that bear as a gay term and bear culture became popular in the 1980s and probably originated in San Francisco. LGBT magazine The Advocate claims to have coined the term in its 1979 article “Who’s Who at the Zoo?”

From the outset, body hair and BMI have determined one’s bearhood. Masculine demeanor was another common trait, but many consider the definition to be purely physical. Younger bears were eventually dubbed cubs, and hairy gay men with slim frames came to be called otters.

There’s power in numbers and names, and that’s a big reason bears came together in the first place — to showcase another side of homosexuality. Mainstream gay culture was primarily dominated by trim, well-manicured, metropolitan gay men. Bears wanted to highlight that there were other ways to be gay — including masculine and girthy.

Although there is still a long way to go, bears helped change the public perception of what it means to be queer.

Different types of bears

Just like there are different types of bears in the wild, there are also different gay bear meanings. Although we haven’t seen any grizzlies, polar bears and panda bears are totally a thing. Let’s dive into the various subcultures of bears.

• Polar bears: Since we’ve already name-dropped them, let’s start with polar bears. These are bears with snow-white hair. Although white hair typically comes with age, we would be willing to make an exception for any bear who’s still rocking frosted tips.
• Panda bear: A panda bear is a bear of Asian (typically East Asian) descent. This is an in-group term, so avoid using it to describe someone else unless you’re a panda bear yourself. If you mess with a bear, you get the claws.
• Bear cub: There’s no age requirement for joining the bearhood, but younger bears are typically called bear cubs. There’s no cub graduation ceremony, so which term you use is entirely your choice. Many bears are still cubs at heart.
• Lesbear: A bear is a bear, no matter their gender or sex. So, it shouldn’t surprise you that lesbians and bisexual women can be bears, too. Sometimes called “Ursulas,” a lesbear is any queer woman who identifies as a bear. 
• Goldilocks: Although not a bear, you might often find a Goldilocks hanging around a bear club. These are heterosexual people (generally women) who are friends with bears. They’re super fun; just don’t let them near your porridge.

Gay bear flag and colors

The bear flag was designed in 1995 by Craig Byrnes, who studied bear culture at university (and was a card-carrying bear himself). He thought bears deserved their own unique symbol, so he designed a flag to represent the diverse bear community. 

The flag has seven horizontal stripes in shades of brown, tan, gold, white, and black. The spectrum is meant to represent the many members of the bear community and highlight how diverse and welcoming bear culture is. The flag is finished with a bear paw in the top left corner, reminiscent of the heart in the corner of the leather flag.

Gay bears in pop culture

Although bear awareness and popularity have expanded rapidly since the ’80s, there isn’t much bear representation in mainstream media, movies, TV, or music. Still, you can spot them if you know where to look.

• Daniel Franzese, probably best known as Damian in Mean Girls, is one of the better-known bears in Hollywood. He held it down for the bears in Looking, HBO’s 2014 series about the gay community. 
• Big Dipper, a rapper and podcaster based in Los Angeles, is also a notable member of the bear community. Although he hasn’t quite broken through to mainstream success, he’s a beloved sex symbol in the bear community, especially in California.
• Grizzly Shawn is the fictional gay bear that straights will most likely know. This character was introduced in Season 22 of The Simpsons and has made several appearances since.
• Pixar’s Inside Out even referenced gay bears. When Fear gets scared and asks if there is a bear around, Disgust replies that there aren’t any bears in San Francisco. Anger replies, “I saw a guy with a hairy back. Does that count?”

Bears deserve more, but they must be on their way if they’re infiltrating Disney.

Gay bear events and celebrations

Although there’s not an International Gay Bear Day, some bears celebrate World Bear Day on March 23, which is traditionally dedicated to bears (the animal). Even if they don’t have their own day, bears are very much a part of June’s global pride celebrations. There are also bear beauty pageants in New York and San Francisco.

In 2022, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, held its first official bear LGBTQ Pride event, Bearadise. There’s also the Mad Bear Festival in Madrid, Bearsurrection in Fort Lauderdale, and BearScotFest in Edinburgh. Plus, there are bear clubs and bars in nearly every major city in the world. Bear culture is global, baby.