17/10/2016

#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

TBT: WhenThe AdvocateInvented Bears

Yes, that's right. You have us to thank for the massive stereotyping of gay men and women.
Happy Throwback Thursday.
BYADVOCATE.COM EDITORS
APRIL 17 2014 8:00 AM EDT

Above: excerpted fromThe Advocate,July 26, 1979

There seems to be some discussion about who actually coined the term "bear" as a
descriptive for some gay men. Some claim it was Richard Bulger, who, along with his
then-partner, Chris Nelson (19602006), foundedBear Magazinein 1987. Nope. It was
us. Bulger and Nelson were smart enough to make a cottage industry of it.
Arguably, the rst usage was by George Mazzei in his article "Who's Who at the Zoo?"
in the July 26, 1979, issue ofThe Advocate.Beautifully illustrated by talented
longtimeAdvocateillustrator and cartoonist Gerard Donelan, the article went on to
blithley categorize other gay men and lesbians as types of animals in the zoo.
It was a simpler time. Is it funny now? Does it hold up? That is for you to judge and
comment on.

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17/10/2016

#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

Above, excerpted fromThe Advocate,July 26, 1979.

Click through for more animals in the LGBT Zoo >>>

http://www.advocate.com/comedy/2014/04/17/tbt-when-advocate-invented-bears

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17/10/2016

#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

#TBT: WhenThe AdvocateInvented Bears

Yes, that's right. You have us to thank for the massive stereotyping of gay men and women.
Happy Throwback Thursday.
BYADVOCATE.COM EDITORS
APRIL 17 2014 8:00 AM EDT

Above, excerpted fromThe Advocate,July 26, 1979.

http://www.advocate.com/comedy/2014/04/17/tbt-when-advocate-invented-bears?pg=1#article-content

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17/10/2016

#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

Above, excerpted fromThe Advocate,July 26, 1979.

http://www.advocate.com/comedy/2014/04/17/tbt-when-advocate-invented-bears?pg=1#article-content

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17/10/2016

#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

Above, excerpted fromThe Advocate,July 26, 1979.

http://www.advocate.com/comedy/2014/04/17/tbt-when-advocate-invented-bears?pg=1#article-content

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17/10/2016

#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

Above, excerpted fromThe Advocate,July 26, 1979.

http://www.advocate.com/comedy/2014/04/17/tbt-when-advocate-invented-bears?pg=1#article-content

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17/10/2016

#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

Above, excerpted fromThe Advocate,July 26, 1979.

http://www.advocate.com/comedy/2014/04/17/tbt-when-advocate-invented-bears?pg=1#article-content

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17/10/2016

#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

Above, excerpted fromThe Advocate,July 26, 1979.

http://www.advocate.com/comedy/2014/04/17/tbt-when-advocate-invented-bears?pg=1#article-content

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#TBT: When The Advocate Invented Bears | Advocate.com

John Burrows
Glad to nd George Mazzei's article with Gerard Donelan's drawings again. I kept a copy of this for many years it helped me understand my place in the gay community and was the rst place I saw the term Bear. I have gone
on to found and direct Bear Week Provincetown... and we have all the animals of the zoo there.
LikeReplyJul 2, 2016 5:45pm

Kevin JacksonHousing Case ManageratSouthern Arizona AIDS Foundation

Over, Exposure..
The Bear subculture goes back as far as the late 1960's when the Satyrs Motorcycle Club* noted in their
newsletter the use of a miniature teddybear in the backpocket as a trend for those who self-identied
and/or enjoyed cuddling before, during, and after a trist**. It gained national and international notoriety in
the 90's when the successful distribution of nicheporn titles such as BEAR Magazine and the
proliferation of Bear clubs like my belovedBears of the Old Pueblobrought it to the public
consciousness. Then, as we hit the social media era and the saturation of internet awareness we now
see 'Bear' as a descriptor for openly queerfolk and non-gays alike. But please note, this article both in
the online and originally published form were seen as 'Comedy' pieces meant as much to lampoon
stereotypes as to possibly illuminate labels (self-applied or not).
It's great fun to look back but let's remember that regardless of where we are individually on the
spectrum that for many this is still a deeply rich and powerful identity and respect that. At 45 I'm kinda
ofcially an 'old' Bear now but I remember being that 23 year old nding that BEAR Magazine
subscription card pinned to the bulletin board atShot in the Dark Cafeand thinking it was the most
amazing piece of guerilla artwork ever and then realizing that it was genuine and such a publication and
community existed out there where these men that I had emulated and desired all my life actually found
and celebrated one another.
Have we become commercialized and some light shed on our underground beginnings? Sure, and
there's innate humor and entertainment to be found in any subculture. We need to be mindful though
that for our younger siblings out there and for those that are just freeing themselves to explore identity
that 'Bear', 'Cub', 'Otter', 'Wolf', et cetera, can be afrming tribes to nd kinship and love.
*Founded in 1954 the Satyrs is the longest continually operating LGBTQ organization in the United
States.
**We need to bring back the word 'trist', it just sounds sexyclassy.
LikeReply

9Aug 4, 2014 10:00pmEdited

myrowtom2
Hi Kevin, I am George Mazzei who wrote the Gloassary and your erutdite comment is so true
and much like the ones I got whenit was publsihed.
We had bodies then and we had fun then -- something I see precious little of these days. Being
hidden made us pursue more hedonism since noone could see us.
Youlook like a real bear.
LikeReply

2Aug 4, 2014 8:10pm

myrowtom2
Kevin Jackson Gotta meet you. Re that teddy bear, are you sure about the sixties? I remember
that Griff's BF at the asked me about making a leather teddy bear and we came up with that
little dude. That was in 1978. I also made a papier mache Satyr for a motorcycle run, 7 1/2 feet
high with a cock like a stove pipe. It was a sensation. But Griff cut off the cock and they burned
the Satyr. I remember I made it for the MC run at Badger Flats. I lost the photos along the way
but have been trying to get in touch with the original Bear for the article here to see if he has it. I
had it in is patio and his maid opened the window curtains and almost fainted!!! LOL Can I go
on adare and send you my email?
LikeReplyAug 10, 2014 7:47pm

Kevin JacksonHousing Case ManageratSouthern Arizona AIDS Foundation

myrowtom2 - Thank you sir. I'd go further and say that we weren't just hidden but we were
pushed underground in most areas of the country out of a need for pure survival. When you're
forbidden the freedom of expression and rites of passage like public courting and all the rituals
that go along with it, you're left with the furtive, secret, and taboo. The joyous piece for me is
that our young ones are able to have some fun with the 'ecology' of our modern queer cultures.
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LikeReplyAug 10, 2014 9:16pmEdited

myrowtom2
I am the writer of that piece from 1979. It was kid of a major fun thing. I did not invent the Bear label but I
did dene it and popularize ir and am credited in many places as the "Bearfather." LOL.
The description of bears has evolved into chubby guys. My original Bear model was not fat,he was just
cute and demure, couldn't stop shedding, and couldn't stop Efng. He had a beautiful body, some belly,
and lots of admirers.
LikeReply

2Aug 4, 2014 8:02pm

Joel WeeksUniversidade Estadual de Kennesaw

the Term bear may have been around for a long while but it was not until the late 80's that the bear
community discovered itself and hundreds of thousands of gay men nally realized that their body types
were perfectly acceptable as was loving men with bear attributes, be they physical, sociological or
spiritual. I'm just glad our community exists. I can't imagine my life without bears.
LikeReplyApr 18, 2014 3:39pm

Joel GesundheitAdminatMt. Carmel Lutheran Church

We also have fox. Like, silver fox. But what else... I dunno.
LikeReplyApr 17, 2014 8:52pm

Johnny Mac
Yeah, I highly doubt the Advocate was rst to establish any such label. But, what I nd to be asinine is
that clicking on this story, I was rst fed video ad.. FOR "GILETTE BODY," a razor in which those
featured in the ads use it to totally shave their torsos and backs. What an offensive, fucked-up targeting
of consumers. Not surprised, though. Till I saw this story pop up, I thought the Advocate was long gone.
Last I saw it on a newsstand, it was an anemic shadow of its once self.
LikeReply

7Apr 17, 2014 4:07pm

Anthony Neff
The Advocate denitely didn't establish the term, but they'd clearly heard of it. I love how they
put "bears are usually not kinky." Hmmmmmmmmmmm
LikeReply

4Apr 17, 2014 5:48pm

Ben ThebodyColumbia College

"male owls are mostly engaged in keeping Camp alive."
LOVE this.
LikeReply

1Apr 17, 2014 1:33pm

David KawaNova Iorque

I guess the rest just didn't take?
LikeReply

1Apr 17, 2014 12:43pm

Herman Strumpf
The term Bear was coined by the comunity themselves in the 60's, rejecting ridged rules of how we
should dress and act by just wearing what we wanted to an putting a small Teddy Bear in the back
pocket. The rst published reference was 1966 in The Satyrs MC news letter. Before the electronic
Bears Mailing List there was a hard copy version circulated in The Bay Area.
See: "Faries, Bears, and Leathermen by Peter Hennen, 2008
Hermann Strumpf
ACT-UP down on the farm

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