The bears I know tend to hang with other bears/cubs and non-bears who like them (and like socializing with them). In America, the bear scene seems to be a part of the blue-collar, every-man, aesthetic (combined with the dank, darkness of leather bars).
Good luck with whatever you decide, poshboy123.
Poshboy, listen to Mr. Lex. He is wise (as well as very scenic).
Mr. Lex: Is it true 'Mericuhn Bears are hiding among the blue-collar types in leather bars? I have found only one openly "We are a gay Bear bar" watering hole and it was in Long Beach, CA. It was a nice, big open place with a view of the harbor and a 6:00 - 8:00 PM happy hour, DJ spinning good dance music, and the place was well lit instead of dark and dungeon-like. Lots of XXXL Hawaiian shirts mixed with well-dressed XXL business men. Almost all had beards. I'll find the name and particulars, then pass them on to poshboy. However, an old squeeze recently sent me an e-mail about The Bear Party in Palm Springs (he lives down the street a couple of towns in Cathedral City). He was amazed that the event was organized just as well and almost as well attended as Palm Spring's White Party. It seems Bears have invaded Palm Springs for several years now and people are finally getting used to the idea.
Back in my youth (the 1970's) I had to spelunk the basement Trucker bars to find a plush hairy man (preferably with big knuckles) to play with. The idea that I could squire one of these guys around town in general public was not accepted by the glitteratti boys or the Truckers. They were definitely mutually exclusive. Truly sad.
I am definitely going to attend San Francisco's Folsom Street Fair this year. The Squeeze now has an Italian passport (his mother is Italian and moved to Argentina in 1966) so we'll have no trouble with him being given an instant travel visa to the USA. Without an EU passport he's been denied entrance to the USA because he's Argentine. But there's so many things in the USA I want to share with The Squeeze. Like the Folsom Fair.
In the early years of the Folsom Fair big, beefy guys usually ended up squeezed into tight leather biker wear and seemed to be part of the S&M leather crowd. However, it looks like the West Coast is opening up to the idea of accepting the larger sized men among us, which is a good thing.
Anyway, Poshboy, take heart in knowing you're not alone and you don't have to accept a life of hiding at home with a box of Mystic Mints and watching reruns of Will and Grace. (That was suppposed to be a joke.) :smile:
. Believe me, I'm even surprise at what hotties I turned up with.
