LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Talk: Are Gay Bears Becoming Too Trendy? |
by Bill Sievert |
When you think of a trendy gay man, you may well conjure up the image of a buffed young gym Adonis sucking up oxygen blasts at a high-energy dance club. But as the pendulum of what's popular continues its eternal swing, an entirely different lookand outlookis becoming a worldwide rage among many gay guys. These males of the moment are Bears, men who share a penchant for unaffected masculine physical appearances, often full-figured (or husky) and as covered by body hair as nature permits. The fact that they are becoming so "popular" irks some of the nearly 1,400 men who gathered in Orlando, FL, for the 9th annual national Bear Bust this fall. Bears from as far removed as South Dakota and Toronto came together at the Full Moon Saloon and nearby Parliament House resort for a long weekend of beer drinking, pageantry and ursine play. Of course, Rehoboth Beach was represented by a delegation proudly sporting "Bear on the Beach" tee shirts between splashes in the pool. Physical friskiness is an important part of Bear life, according to Ray Kampf, an Orlando graphics and interior designer who has compiled The Bear Handbook. His somewhat tongue-in-cheek account of what it means to be a Bear was a fast selling item at this year's Bust, sponsored by the Bears of Central Florida. "Bears are a tactile species, and as their human counterparts, we have adopted their play," he said. "Being among men who aren't afraid to touch and feel is a wonderful thing." Time was when Bears were regarded as the nerds of the gay community. "In the 80s, we didn't fit in with the clones, the pretty boys, the twinks who appeared in International Male catalogues," Kampf said. "For one thing, most Bears are older professional men. We also tend to be larger. There were always gay guys who looked like ussome were hippies who learned to love their hair in the 60's. But for a long time we had nowhere to go to fit in. From our first little clubs, which were like New Age support groups, we have grown into this mass movement." According to the Bear History Project, the earliest official Bear clubs formed in 1989 and 1990 in Boston and Iowa. They followed a popular San Francisco series of "Bear Hug" and "Leather Bear" parties, which came on the heels of a fad in which many gay men carried tiny stuffed teddy bears in their pockets. When gay newspapers and fledgling web sites began to report on Bear activities, clubs sprang up all over the U.S. and around the globe. By 1992, local groups were joining together for such regional festivities as OctoBear Fest in Denver, Chicago Bear Pride Weekend, Southern Decadence in New Orleans and the Orlando event. Australia has an even larger network of Bear organizations, with several European countries not far behind. So what's wrong with all this success? It's just not the good old days anymore. "Being a Bear used to mean gaining respect and acceptance when no one else would accept us," said Wesley Burdnil from Gainesville, FL. With flowing silver hair and a long gray goatee, he looked like the veteran of previous Bear Busts he was as he fondly recalled the early years. "None of us was pretty, but we were attracted to one another. Today we're seen as a trend; everyone wants to be a Bear. It has all become too stylized, too conformist, even cliquish." Ray Kampf agreed that many of the men who now appear on the covers of Bear magazines and who star in videos marketed to Bears look likewellthey look like models. "They're slick and have tight abs. They don't exactly represent what most of us are about." Kampf then shrugged his broad shoulders. "Such is the price we're paying for popularity. Most Bears still share the same values. We are proud to be masculine and we know our show tunes. To me, that remains quite refreshing." The growing Bear market also has become quite commercial. In addition to tables full of national magazines competing for the handsomest Bear centerfold, the Orlando Bust featured a shopping arcade of more than three dozen booths offering ursine images on condom wrappers, mugs, candles, clothing, jewelry, even strings of Christmas lights. There was also a lot of leather for sale. Many Bears identify themselves with gay bikers and leather men, at least partly because leather bars were among the first places to make Bears feel welcome. In Rehoboth, interest in Bear life has increased dramatically since the opening of the Double L Bar, which hosts regional gatherings and Mr. Bear competitions. In Orlando, nearly 1,000 men packed into the privacy-enclosed courtyard of the Full Moon Saloon to see contestants promenade in a national pageant. Most onlookers had to crane their necks to get a good view of the stage, decorated with cardboard flames and rubber hoses to resemble a firehouse (this year's theme). "Give him a great big woof!" the emcee called to the cheering crowd as each participant strutted his stuff during the swimsuit competition. Categories of "Bear wear" and jock strap were to follow that Saturday evening's banquet. Awards would then be presented in three divisions: cub (usually the smallest and often youngest), grizzly and daddy bear (generally the biggest and frequently eldest). Many a non-Bear might be amused at the appearance of the scantily clad contestants, some of whom proudly displayed protruding bellies and furry backs. But the friendly battle among Bear bodies represented much more than the camp sense of humor that animated Bear pageants in the early years. "These are my types of men," boasted David Schmidt of St. Paul, MN. He was one of the youngest persons in attendance. "I'm not like a lot of guys my age. I'm not hung up on stereotypical good looksthe whole boy band style. I prefer men who look real and are real. These are hunks to me." "There is too much dishonesty in a lot of gay scenes," said Les Schmick, coordinator of Chicago's Bear Pride 2001, one of the Triple Crown of national events along with International Bear Rendezvous in San Francisco and the Orlando Bust. (The Chicago event is held each Memorial Day Weekend.) "For me, being a Bear means we share a trust and camaraderie." Schmick was with a friend from South Dakota. Both men had long wispy blond beards, and each was quite slim. "I've been asked how I could be a Bear because I'm such a lightweight," Schmick said. "But that's exactly the point. It isn't just your heft that makes you a Bear anymore than it is how much hair you have or where you have it. It comes from within. We can be who we truly are without any posing." But doesn't Schmick find an increasing number of poseurs in the Bear lairs these days? "Well, there is a lot of debate about what a Bear is supposed to look like and act like," he said. "I try to overlook the controversy because, if you think of yourself as a Bear, you are one." Then he laughed. "Besides, Bears have great noses. We can always sniff out the real thing." The Bear Handbook, compiled by Ray Kampf, is published by Harrington Park Press, 10 Alice St., Binghamton, NY 13904. For more information on national Bear events, check out the web sites for the Bears of Central Florida at www.bocf.org or Chicago Bear Pride at www.glbears.com And, you'll find the Bear History Project at www.bearhistory.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 15, Nov. 22, 2000. |