It’s pretty incredible to see just how big (no pun intended) the bear community has gotten over the past 25 years.
Gone are the days where we are pushed aside for the smooth, twinky types and muscular jocks. No shade to them, but we have found our place in the gay world and our presence and acceptance continues to grow (once again, no pun) as the years go on.
Want to see just how massive the bear community has become? Go to a bear event. One in particular is Texas Bear Round Up, which just finished up its yearly gathering in Dallas on March 17th.
Texas Bear Round Up, or TBRU for short, started with just a hand full of local members back in 1996 and has emerged as one of the biggest bear events in the world.
Their beginnings ring true to other major bear events happening all across the country like Bear Week in Provincetown, Massachusetts and Lazy Bear Weekend in Guerneville, California.
TBRU hosts thousands of bears and bear aficionados for several days of fun food, entertainment, relaxation and a feeling of brotherhood among our community. Let’s not forget the eye candy. Woof.
One of the biggest (if not biggest) parties that happens during TBRU is BearDance, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Nearly 2,000 men gather for an all-night dancing extravangaza which had a Hard Candy theme to it this year. BearDance also donates proceeds to the beneficiaries of TBRU to wonderful organizations like the Greg Dollgenner Memorial AIDS Fund (GDMAF), the Sharon St. Cyr (SSC) Fund, and the Resource Center: Youth First program. More info here.
The importance of comradery is very important in the gay community, as we all want to feel welcomed in our own way, and TBRU has a way of making sure that you not only matter but you belong.
Definitely an event you’ll want to check out for the 2020 calendar year when it returns next March.
More information here.
This is the opinion of one contributing writer and not that of Instinct Magazine or other Contributing Writers.