Characteristics of gay men

We speculate that Bears are viewed as less attractive than what is traditionally considered to be attractive. The Bear community exists as a subculture in reaction to the larger gay community. We concluded that Bears are intensely sexual. They reported wanting partners who were hairier and heavier.

They were less likely to reject sexual partners and the partners they did reject were more likely to be young or weigh too little i. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Bears were more likely than mainstream gay men to enact diverse sexual behaviors e.

They reported wanting partners who were hairier and heavier. The new research on everything from voice pitch to hair whorl. Here’s the surprising truth I’ve discovered: Gay men are often more masculine than they recognize, and not only the ones with big muscles.

There are many different subdivisions within the Bear community. The gay community is ultimately a heterogeneous one with many subgroups and subcultures—one of the commonalities among them being the desire to have same-sex encounters.

In response, we conducted two large-scale studies of gay men identifying as Bears (n = ) to survey their self-reported physical, behavioral, and psychological traits. They favor instead a body-model that may be predetermined by genetics, age, or heteronormative masculine beliefs i.

Gay Men and Understanding

Official websites use. For example, where Leathermen revere hypermasculinity as a trait that encompasses embracing danger, fearlessness, power, and sexual callousness. Though ostensible similarities and overlapping traits exist between Bears and other gay male subcultures e.

It rejects the normative idealized male beauty revered by mainstream gay men. If sexual orientation is biological, are the traits that make people seem gay innate, too? Bears had lower self-esteem but were no less or more hypermasculine than non-Bears.

The partners they can attract may be limited and, in response to this limitation, they may be particularly attuned to seek out partners who will not reject them. Our studies indicated that Bears were more likely to be hairier, heavier, and shorter than mainstream gay men.

Sexual partners matter and are egalitarian. One such subculture is comprised of gay and bisexual men who identify as Bears. Divisions within the community may consist of: Grizzly Bears White, hairy, heavier menCubs younger hairy menPolar Bears older men with greying or white hairBig Teddy Bears men who are hairy, yet heavier than Grizzly BearsOtters men who are hairy but thinand other classifications encompassing ethnic variations such as Black Bears hairy men of color or Panda Bears hairy Asian or Pacific Islander men Monaghan, Despite physical differences within the Bear community, most of the men subscribe to a shared identity: masculinity is praised and therefore celebrated within the community.

Because there is a dearth of general research regarding this community, and no studies to date that use quantitative methods, we decided to explore this community quantitatively—using an Internet-convenience sample, followed by a purposive sample.

Social psychological aspects of

Bears do not. Our studies indicated that Bears were more likely to be hairier, heavier, and shorter than mainstream gay men. Bear culture is complex and inextricably tied to heteronormative and hegemonic masculine ideologies. There is some theoretical support for why the Bear identity splintered from the gay male mainstream culture.

Men are categorized primarily by their hairiness, but also by their weight, age, and ethnicity. In response and in contrast with Leathermen, Bears maintain their masculine identity without adopting negative hypermasculine tendencies to accommodate all partners, despite their size or body hairiness.