Gay History Lesson: Remember When The Advocate Invented Bears?
Yes, that's right. You have to thank our sister publication for the iconic gay lingo!
There seems to be some discussion about who actually coined the term "bear" as a descriptive term for hairy, burly, thick gay men. Some claim it was Richard Bulger, who, along with his then-partner, Chris Nelson (1960-2006), founded Bear Magazine in 1987. But nope! It was Out's sister publication The Advocate! Bulger and Nelson were smart enough to make a cottage industry of it.
Arguably, the first usage was by George Mazzei in his article "Who's Who at the Zoo?" in the July 26, 1979, issue of The Advocate. Beautifully illustrated by talented longtime Advocate cartoonist Gerard Donelan, the article went on to blithely categorize other gay men and lesbians as types of animals in the zoo.
It was a simpler time. Is it funny now? Does it hold up? That's for you to judge.
Scroll through to see more of Mazzei and Donelan's epic gay animal glossary!
