WHO ARE GAY BEARS?

Q: WHAT IS A GAY BEAR?

A: The most common definition of a "Bear" is a man who is hairy, has facial hair, and a cuddly body. However, the word "Bear" means many things to different people, even within the Bear world. Many men who do not have one or all of these characteristics define themselves as Bears, making the term a very loose one. Suffice it to say, "Bear" is often defined as more of an attitude than anything else. It is a sense of comfort with our natural masculinity and bodies that are not anal to the vogues of male attractiveness that is so common in gay circles and the culture at large.

Q: WHAT ARE A CUB, A DADDY, AN OTTER AND A WOLF?

A: These are subclasses of "Bear". A "Cub" is a younger, perhaps smaller, less experienced Bear, sometimes interpreted as a bottom sexually. Conversely, a "Daddy" is an older, more mature Bear, usually a top sexually. "Otters" and "Wolves" are thin bears, the "Wolf" being more aggressive.

Q: WHAT IS THE BEAR FLAG?

A: There are many bear flags. One of the most popular is the International Bear Brotherhood Flag, shown above. This flag is Copyright © 1995 by Craig Byrnes. The colours represent the fur colours and nationalities of bears throughout the world. Craig allows individuals and clubs to freely use the flag for non-commercial purposes.

Q: WHAT IS THE BEAR CODE?

A: Bear Code is a way of classifying the attributes of a Bear that would be understood by the Bear community, but be meaningless to the outside word. Bear Code focuses in the main on the physical attributes of the Bear. There are a number of Bear Codes; here is an example of one. You will be able to create your automated Bear Code using this particular one on your profile.

The most obvious characteristic of a Bear is understandably his facial fur. So this would seem the most logical place to start. Using a capital "B" to denote "BEAR", the sub-class characterises "beard type" which combines a Bear's beard's length, thickness, and overall "keptness", numbered from 0 to 9 and defined in the following way:

B0		Little/no beard, or incredibly sparse.
B1		Very slight beard: the kind that people have who can't grow one.
B2		Slight beard: kept very short or thinned at all times.
B3		Thin beard: in all respects a beard but kept thin and short.
B4		Mostly full: full except for a few bald spots, or kept trimmed.
B5		Full beard: not generally trimmed, though not generally bushy. Full & rounds beards fall into this category.
B6		Very full: not trimmed, slightly bushy but very full. These beards are also generally higher up on the cheeks than B5's.
B7		Longish/bushy beards: full or slightly thin beard with longish fur. This beard is not trimmed and does come away from the chin.
B8		Very Long Beards: usually very bushy and haven't been cut for a very long time.
B9		Belt-buckle-grazing long beards: The ZZ Top look a like!

Other Classifiers for Bears

Beards are an observable trait of Bears but other traits and attributes also define "Bearness". Other traits are captured using defined criteria.

f : "FUR TRAIT" A Bear's fur:

f++		Way above average fur
f+		Above average fur
f		Furry in a bearish sense
f0		Avg. fur for a sample population of bears & non-bears
f-		Below average fur
f--		Way below average fur
fn		Completely smooth or shaved

t : "TALLNESS TRAIT". A Bear's height:

t++		A virtual giant bear
t+		Taller than average
t		Tall but not very tall
t0		Of average height for the population
t-		Shorter than average
t--		A bear of very small stature

w - " WEIGHT TRAIT". A Bear's size/weight/stature:

w++		A round bear/BIG TEDDY bear
w+		A big boned bear
w		Bear with a tummy
w0		Average weight for frame
w-		A thin bear (otters!)
w--		A bony bear

c - "CUB TRAIT". For the junior up and coming Bears:

c++		Complete daddy's boy
c+		Definite cub
c		Cub tendencies
c0		Not "cubbish"
c-		Looks like a cub but isn't

d - "DADDY TRAIT". For the mature, often dominant Bears:

d++		DADDY with a vengeance (even his parents call him SIR!)
d+		Definite DADDY
d		Daddyish tendencies
d0		Not a daddy
d-		Looks like a daddy but isn't

g - "GROPE TRAIT": How much a Bear likes to be touched or pawed etc.:

g++		Love to grope/paw/touch etc. Will attack without warning. Gives hugs to hot otherwise unknown bears on the street in open daylight.
g+		Likes to be touched most of the time
g		Generally outgoing with Bear affection, a little more reserved about place/person
g0		Average amount of receptivity to being touched
g-		Generally doesn't like people to invade his personal aura/lair
g--		Touch me, I break your face!

k - "KINKY TRAIT": For those who dare:

k++		Likes just about EVERYTHING, that is EVERYTHING!
k+		Picks and choose according to likes; willing to consider new ideas
k		Open minded. Might choose SOME things on the "menu"
k0		Kinky neutral
k-		A large number of dislikes
k--		Totally vanilla

s - "SEX/RELATIONSHIP TRAIT": The Bear's mating habits:

s--		Strictly monogamously relationship oriented
s-		Relationship oriented. Prefers a formal sort of relationship over playing around
s0		Relationship neutral
s+		Will form relationships which are generally open-ended
s++		Strictly polygamous, prefers very open or no relationships

m - "MUSCLE TRAIT": For Bears with meat on their bones:

m++		Arnold Schwartzineger is that you?
m+		Definitely works out
m		Some definition
m0		Muscle neutral
m-		Little muscle tone
m--		Skinny

e - "ENDOWMENT TRAIT": What else can be said? Cock Size!:

e++		Gets complete respect even from straight men
e+		Gets attention
e		Noteworthy
e0		Endowment neutral
e-		Thin but average length
e--		Small in all respects

r - "RUGGED/OUTDOOR TRAIT": In tune with nature?:

r++		"Grizzly Adams"
r+		Leather and denim and under the stars
r		Spends some time outdoors/camping
r0		Rugged neutral
r-		Prefers indoor-type activities (techie or 3-piece)
r--		Never seen in the outdoors at all.

ADDITIONAL PUNCTUATION

The following are not grades, they are just flags attached to the overall traits

v		For variable where a said trait is not always rigid and may change with time or with individual interaction (e.g. some guys who are generally REAL daddies, may turn into REAL cubs occasionally, etc.)
?		Where there is no HARD information available and the value is completely guessed, e.g. a picture of a hot bear that looks like a rugged outdoorsman, r+? but in reality could be a 3-piece suit bear
!		Where a trait is as close to the stereotype as possible. An exemplary case of a specific trait, e.g. the ultimate f++!
()		Indicates a range of traits. A guy who goes from k to k++ depending on the situation but is usually k, could use k(++)