On Bear Subculture

For years, a large part of the gay community has been preoccupied with an almost juvenile body type, a look so exacting in its standards that a growing number of people consider it to border on the absurd. Believe it or not, most gay men are not 20-somethings, are not bleach-blondes (or beach-blondes), and are not consumed with feminine things. Many gay men are, well, men, and enjoy masculine things. Perhaps a philosophy that could apply would be something like "If I sought a feminine partner, I wouldn't be gay! As a homosexual, I am by definition seeking a man!"

The gay community has room for everyone. Of course there will always be people who don't fit the mold. To us, it seems strange that the gay image generally accepted by the public and the gay community has become so biased towards traditionally non-masculine things.

Red Earth Bears is here to help fill the void. We are a group of men who generally don't fit the gay mainstream, or who seek men outside the lockstep of mainstream gay culture. We are a group of guys, mostly big or hairy or masculine guys, who like to socialize without feeling self-conscious.

About Red Earth Bears

What happens when you accept your homosexuality? Most gay men and women can answer that question without hesitation: You are ostracized, cast out of the straight world. For many homosexuals, the gay community becomes home. It fills the need for interaction with others, it allows gays and lesbians to be comfortable, open, and honest with themselves. But what would happen if a gay man finds that he is not accepted by the gay community? Perhaps he was not trim. Perhaps he didn't look young enough. Perhaps he wasn't interested in the same things as other gays. Whatever the reason, when a gay man is not accepted by his own community, he must look elsewhere to find, or to create, a new one.

Around 1994 in central Oklahoma, a group of friends found themselves in just such a position. They were all gay, and were all beginning to feel like they were not wanted in the gay community. Across the country and the world, many gay men had similar feelings, and began to call themselves "Bears". Back in Oklahoma, our group of friends decided to create a social club for Bears, and for anyone else who didn't feel comfortable with the mainstream gay scene. Red Earth Bears was formed.

The name "Red Earth Bears" is simple to understand if you live in Oklahoma. After all, Oklahoma is the Land of the Red Earth, the place where the clay dirt is so red that it stains your hands. And, it's the place where Native Americans ('red' skins) lived after European Americans ('white' skins) took their land. REB is a group of gays who have made a new home after shunned by the gay community, and we happen to be based in Oklahoma City, OK. What better name than Red Earth Bears?