Quidley-Rodriguez, N.; De Santis, J. P. (2015). "A Literature Review of Health Risks in the Bear Community, a Gay Subculture". American Journal of Men's Health. 11 (6): 1673–1679. doi: 10.1177/1557988315624507. PMC 5675254. PMID 26718773. BN: My ‘dating’ profile says that I am not bothered how firm things are just so long as we are comfortable in ourselves. However, mattresses and pillows? I would say quite firm.

Bears who are more muscular but still have plenty of hair are sometimes referred to as "wolves". They are usually also described as being more "sexually aggressive", or otherwise as the more dominant person in a relationship. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] History [ ] Wright, Les K. (2000), The Bear Book II: Further Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture, Haworth, ISBN 978-0-7890-0636-3 Reid-Smith, Tris: " Pride flags: The biggest guide to LGBT+ rainbow flags and what they all mean". Gay Star News. In gay culture, a bear is a larger and often hairier man who projects an image of rugged masculinity. BN: To be honest I am usually very compliant with rules and I would hate to do something that would put hotel staff out. I usually tidy before I leave, strip the beds etc. When I was about five I went on a family holiday and ‘cleaned’ the toilet with powdered Vim. Apparently I got it everywhere so that was pretty naughty, right?Wright, Les K. (1997). The Bear Book: Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture. Haworth Press. ISBN 1-56023-890-9 THANK YOU for visiting my virtual art gallery! Enjoy my original 'social documentary' photographs of various events ! The Bear History Project, founded by Les L. Wright in 1995, documented the emergence and early evolution of bear identity and bear community. It became the source material for much of The Bear Book (1999) and The Bear Book II (2001). Publication of The Bear Book led to the Library of Congress adding "bear" as a category. The Bear History Project is archived in the Human Sexuality Collection at Cornell University. It continues to be added to. [10] As more gay men have identified themselves as bears, more bars, especially leather or western bars, have become bear-friendly. Some bars cater specifically to bear patrons. [11] Characteristics [ edit ] Bears marching in Melbourne's Pride March 2011

Optional section: If the topic has similarities to another gender/orientation, use this section to highlight the differences between them. Controversy [ ]John Dececco and Les Wright, The Bear Book II: Further Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture. Routledge, 2016. ISBN 9781136383274. THANK YOU for visiting my virtual art gallery! Enjoy my original 'social documentary' photos of various events ! •🔹• Ursulas, historically lesbears, [6] who are sapphic women or women-aligned individuals who are generally hairier and heavy-set. [7] Trans bear–A transgender person, typically a trans man or otherwise of transmasculine experience, who is hairy and heavy-set. Suresha, Ron (2009). "Bearness's Big Blank: Tracing the Genome of Ursomasculinity". Bears on Bears: Interviews and Discussions. Lethe Press. p.83. ISBN 978-1590212448.