KNOWhomo

LGBTQ* Terms and Slang You Might Not Know

(some of) The Bear Necessities 

More terms in a post from a previous post awhile back can be found HERE.

Raise (Your) Flag Pt. 7

Bear Pride

“Bear” — a subculture/grouping within the gay community to describe masculine (appearance) men who embrace facial hair and size/weight. Term often used to describe husky gay men. 

Term BEAR credited to Richard Bulger (who along with Chris Nelson founded BEAR MAGAZINE in 1987).

Bear Slang

§  Bear run – a gathering for bear/cub types and their admirers.

§  Black bear - a bear of Black/African-American descent.

§  Brown bear - a bear of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or South Asian descent.

§  (Chubby) Chaser –a man who likes overweight men. Is also used to generalize bear admirers.

§  Chub – a heavy set gay man. May or may not be a bear (chubby bear is a common term).

§  Cub – a younger (or younger looking) version of a bear, typically but not always with a smaller frame. The term is sometimes used to imply the passive partner in a relationship. Can be hairy or hairless.

§  Daddy bear – an older bear, sometimes looking for a daddy/son relationship with a younger man.

§  Goldilocks – a female, often heterosexual, who is often in the company of bears.

§  Grizzly Adams – a man who is hairy and is attracted to bears; but does not self-identify as a bear.

§  Grizzly bear - a very dominant, heavy, tall, or hairy bear.

§  Koala Bear - a bear of Australian descent.

§  Otter – a man who is hairy, but is not large or stocky – typically thinner, swimmer’s build, or with lean muscle or no muscle.

§  Panda bear – a bear of Asian descent.

§  Pocket bear – a short bear.

§  Polar bear – a silver- or white-haired bear.

§  Trapper - a man of smaller stature attracted to bears, also known as a chaser.

§  Wolf – a term for a muscle bear who is a rugged outdoorsy or biker type.

§  Woof  – a greeting used to express physical attraction (sometimes when a bear sees another bear in public).

(*list from wikipedia.com but also compared to lists on yahoo! answers and lgbt nation/queer talk)