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| A Bear's Life |
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| Life as a gay Southern man is a unique experience. Some people who are not exactly aware of what it means to be Southern and who form their perceptions of the South through negative stereotypes perpetuated by the popular American media may believe that it is a life defined by fear, boredom, and isolation. Though these elements are present, we don't live our lives as defined by them. On the contrary, we live our lives in spite of them. We prefer to enjoy a certain joie de vivre in our lives. It's all about attitude. Life is only as good as what we are able to draw out of it. As a result, we find entertainment, worth, and dignity in places that I believe others may overlook. No one sees the world in quite the same way as gay people in the South. And it's quite a colorful world! |
| Now then, what's this bear business all about, you may ask? Bears in gay culture are men who do not physically or mentally fit the stereotype of gay men. It used to be that gay men who did not conform to the look and mannerisms of gay culture were men who did not fit into either gay or straight culture. During the early 1990s, however, these men began to band together. Because most of them were of hirsuit physiques, they became known as "bears." Suddenly, masculine gay men had a venue in which to socialize. In addition, the bear subculture suddenly became popular within gay culture. Bears were no longer social outcasts, but enjoyed acceptance as gay men. Bear clubs sprung up across the country, and "bear runs" were held in larger cities, during which bears and their admirers gathered nationally in order to socialize and be themselves. One of the great things about bears is that we accepted people for who they are. Bears do not have to live up to an established stereotype that used to plague gay culture. Individual worth has become an issue of personality, honesty, and integrity instead of superficial things like physical attractiveness. Gay culture has learned an important lesson from the gay bear subculture. Gay culture is supposed to be all about acceptance of all people as human beings, and yet before the bear subculture emerged from the closet, gay culture insisted that you fit a previously defined stereotype in order to fit in. Many gay men were uncomfortable with this. They valued their identification with masculinity and did not want to forsake that masculinity just to fit in. The bear subculture has helped to weaken the gay stereotype in both the straight world as well as the gay world and as such has encouraged many masculine men to accept their gay identity as a posiitive element of their self-identify. Had the bear subculture not helped to accomplished this, many gay masculine men might have stayed in the closet and rejected a vital part of themselves.. We all know the harm that come from this. It was a lesson well past its time. |
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| Gay life in the Big Easy: It's not for the faint of heart |
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| Gay life along the Emerald Coast |
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| Gay life in the River City |
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| Gay life in the Magnolia State |
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| All of the testosterone, none of the guilt |
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| Cultivating freedom on Southern soil |
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| Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Friends of Mississippi State University |
| Return to SouthBear's Homepage © 2003-2006 SouthBear This page was created on: 29 May 1998 Date of Last Revision: 2 November 2006 |
| Links to Gay Southern Life |
| The Bear Community in Mississippi |
| Promoting gay rights in Mississippi |
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| Promoting gay rights in Alabama |
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| Gay New Orleans |
| Gay Memphis |
| Kudzu Bears of Mississippi |
| Equality Mississippi |
| Mississippi ACLU |
| USM Gay/Straight Alliance |
| The University of Southern Mississippi GLBT Student Body |
| The University of Mississippi GLBT Student Body |
| Mississippi State University GLBT Student Body |
| Gay Pensacola |
| Gunga's Gay Mississippi |
| Equality Alabama |
| GLBT Student Body of Ole Miss |
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| Georgia Gay Rodeo Association |
| Our Online Presence |
| Below are links to my Bear411 profile and that of my partner, Mark. Please be aware that while our two profiles are 100% G-rated and family friendly, some links to other profiles that are accessible from our's may not be suitable for all viewers. CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE BEAR411 WEBSITE! If you're not so easily offended, are secure with your own sexuality, and you are over the age of 21, then please feel free to take a look! Otherwise, please do the mature thing and move on to other parts of SouthBear's World! |
| Big Bad Bubba Bear |
