Table of Contents

Contents

• About the Editor
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• PART I: Bear Bodies
• Chapter 1: Bears and Health
• Sleep Apnea
• Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD)
• Arteriosclerotic Peripheral Vascular Disease
• Arthritis
• Cancers
• Cholecystitis and Cholelithiasis
• Diabetes mellitus
• Duodenal Ulcer
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
• Heart Attack
• Hiatal Hernia
• Hyperlipidemia
• Hypertension
• Pediculosis (Body Lice)
• Pilonidal Sinus and Cyst
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Two Postscripts
• Chapter 2: Fat Is a Bearish Issue
• Journey into the Psyche of a Chubby-Chaser
• Bearstory/Chubstory
• Fat Theory
• Icons and Images of Fat-Desire
• Gripes About Beardom
• Chapter 3: Bear Youth: An Interview with Brian Kearns, Bear Youth Webmaster
• Chapter 4: By Any Otter Name: The Negative Space of the Bear
• Bears in Space
• Neighborhood Clans
• The Otter Questionnaire
• Responses
• Inconclusions
• Chapter 5: The Beard of Joseph Brown
• PART II: Bear Testimonies
• Chapter 6: A Bear Admirer's (Subjective, Fluffy, and Totally Honest) Point of View
• Chapter 7: A Puerto Rican Bear in the USA
• Family Background
• Breaking Out of Captivity
• Chapter 8: One Black Bear Speaks
• Chapter 9: An Asian Bear in Minnesota
• Chapter 10: The Ephebe is Dead--Long Live the Bear
• Chapter 11: Parlaying Sex into Friendships
• PART III: More Bear Spaces
• Chapter 12: Theorizing Bearspace
• Bear Bodies in Space
• Bearspace and Theory
• Bearspace Exposed
• Skepsis/Bears and Globalization
• Bearspaces of Subjectivity and Fantasy
• Chapter 13: Paws Between Two Worlds: Bears and the Leather Community
• Chapter 14: Gen-X Bears International
• Chapter 15: The Bear-A-Tones: An Interview with David Salinas
• Chapter 16: East Coast Bear Hugz
• Chapter 17: The Bears Mailing List, Part 2: Interview with Henry Mensch
• PART IV: Bear Club Scene
• Chapter 18: A Bear's Autobiography
• Chapter 19: Bear Contests
• Chapter 20: A Short History of the Bear Clubs in Iowa: The Bear Paws of Iowa and the Ursine Group
• First Meeting
• Issues and Feedback Raised in Articles in the The Bear Facts
• The Creation of The Ursine Group
• Chapter 21: Houston Area Bears
• Chapter 22: The Bears come to Rochester
• Chapter 23: A Short History of the Brisbears
• PART V: More Bears Abroad
• Chapter 24: A Bear Voice from Turkey
• Chapter 25: Falstaff's Legacy: The Bears of Albion
• Chapter 26: The Rise of the Australian Bear Community Since 1995
• June 1995: The Death of Ozbears
• August 1995: The Birth of Harbour City Bears
• April 1996: The Birth of Vic Bears (Originally Melbourne Ozbears)
• February 1997: Bear Essentials '97 and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
• May 1997: The Melbourne Bear and Cub Competition
• Mid-1997: Brisbears Voted Best Male Club in Brisbane
• Late 1997: New Bear Club in Canberra
• January 1998: The Second Bear Club in Sydney
• February 1998: Bear Essentials '98 and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Become the Biggest Bear Festival in Australia at the Time
• June 1998: Southern Hibernation '98 and the Mr. Australian Bear and Cub Competition Become the Second Flagship Event for the Australian Bear Community
• Late 1998: Cougar Leather Club Caters to Bears in Southern Australia
• BearsPerth (Formerly WOMBATS) and Ozbears South Australia
• 1999: Further Developments
• The Future of Bears in Australia
• Acknowledgments
• PART VI: Bears in Media
• Chapter 27: You Can Lead a Bear to Culture, but. . . or Bears in Literature and Culture: A Discussion with David Bergman and Michael Bronski
• Chapter 28: Laid Bear: Masculinity with All the Trappings
• Methodology
• Bear Erotica
• Mainstream Gay Erotica
• Leather/SM Erotica
• Discussion

About the Author

Les Wright