"Everything you wanted to know about bears, grizzlies, cubs, otters and a few other furry creatures thrown in for good measure . . ."

Bears are strong and independent creatures who roam in the forest in search of food. Bears are usually gentle, but anger one and be prepared for their full fury! You're big, you're tough, you won't back down from a fight, you have a bit of a temper -- classic attributes of a bear. Intelligent and resourceful, though lazy at times, you are a fascinating creature of the wild.

What is a Bear?

Bears are gay and bisexual men with stocky or heavyset builds, and often have hairy bodies and facial hair. Bears often exhibit an outwardly masculine appearance. The latter being the more important trait of a Bear.

There is much debate as to the definition of a bear, with some saying that anyone who identifies themselves as a bear is a bear, and others arguing that bears must have certain physical characteristics, such as a stocky build, hairy chest and hairy belly as well as facial hair. However, if you look at the "models" in the early issues of Bear Magazine, you will find men that were not chubby and not hairy - although, facial hair was prevelant. They were men who did not fit the Castro ideal. Foremost, they were masculine men.

In the beginning there were no bear clubs, there were few formally organized groups in the earliest days. The bear community originated in the 80's by men who felt that mainstream gay culture was unwelcoming to men who did not fit a particular bodily norm (thin, hairless, gym toned and young).

The original "bear bar" was the Lone Star in SF - in its early days they played only hard rock 'n' roll and heavy metal music at the bar. It was in the South of Market district of San Francisco - the other bars in the area were Leather/Levi bars. It was frequented by the Rainbow Motorcycle Club and other bikers. The Rainbow Motorcycle Club was instrumental in the formation of SF's Bear community. They weren't into fashion leather - only biker leathers. The original Lone Star was closed due to the October 'quake of '89 and opened shortly after in its present location. When the original owner Richard died, it was sold by his survivors to the bar's present owner.

Today's bear runs are an outgrowth of the motorcycle runs of the 50's and 60's.

Originally, Bear had nothing to do with size - they weren't a group of guys that went to the gym but neither were most of them big Girth & Mirth sized. That is evidenced by the early couple years of Bear Magazine where there were many thinner guys featured as "models" in the magazine. Many of the "centerfold models" were just guys that hung out at the Lone Star back then. Common denominator was facial hair and a masculine, friendly attitude. But the simplest definition of Bear comes from that magazine's tag line -”Masculinity Without the Trappings" - a line that was coined by the original owner of Bear Magazine, Richard Bolger (who has been seen on Bear411 recently).

What is a Grizzly Bear?

An older bear - think Grizzly Adams.

What is a Polar Bear?

Bear with white or grey fur/beard.

What is a Cub?

A younger (or younger looking) version of a bear, typically but not always with a smaller frame. The term is sometimes used to imply the passive partner in a relationship.

What is an Otter?

Hairy, but is not large or stocky - typically thinner, or with lean muscle.

What is a Chaser?

Not a bear, cub, or otter, but is sexually or romantically attracted to them.

What is a Behr?

Stocky or heavyset builds, but doesn't have facial hair.

What is a Goldilocks?

A female who hangs out with a bunch of bears. Related term: Fag Hag.