The human bear is a section of the gay community that refects many different aspects of humanity.

Bears can be big, small, tall, slim, bellied, hairy, bearded, clean shaven, spiritual, physical, gentle, playful, slothful, and many more traits.

The importance of the human bear is that it is not an exclusion based section of the community, but one that is willing to embrace the whole human spirit into a community that will be diverse and integrated.

There are many descriptions for a bear, but the majority of the community seem to be bearded, and or hirsuite. Many are "bigger" men, and some are slim (sometimes called otters).

The concept of "elder" to "youngster" relationships are embodied in the daddy-bear to cub.  These may be  relationships that are between an older (daddy) man and a younger (cub) man, but the roles may be reversed, with a young daddy. This aspect is based on attitudes to life, and sometimes the strength of personality.

For some the bear is a deeply spiritual person who rests, thinks and acts upon what he feels is right. Other bears are driven by urgency and the desire to be with others.

There is a sense of companionship within the bear commnity that will help each other when they are down, and take joy in making fun of each other when in need of a laugh.

Bears can be serious people, who desire correctness, but often these people are the ones who have crazy senses of humour, and are prone to joke at the most strange of times.

The bear is a strong personality that is willing to support others, be there for other bears, and for the community. They have strong senses of what is right and wrong, and they feel strongly about their community.

Bears are loving and passionate. They desire companionship, some with a single partner, others with a diverse group who each satisfy different aspects of themselves.

The bear is a state of mind, body and spirit, that can only be seen if you look closely at its social interactions, its loves, its desires, and its naturalness.

To use a phrase from a famous show, modified to suit the place:

"Send in the bears."

Written by Adrian Gould in 1997

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