Bear flag (gay culture)
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2021) |
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| International Bear Brotherhood Flag | |
| Proportion | 3:5 |
|---|---|
| Adopted | 1995 |
| Design | Field of seven equally sized horizontal stripes: dark brown, orange/rust, golden yellow, tan, white, gray, and black; with a bear paw print in the canton |
| Designed by | Craig Byrnes |
| Part of theLGBTQ series |
| LGBTQ symbols |
|---|
| Symbols |
| Pride flags |
TheInternational Bear Brotherhood Flag,also known as thebear flag,is apride flagdesigned to represent thebear subculturewithin theLGBTQIA+ community.The colors of the flag—dark brown, orange/rust, golden yellow, tan, white, gray, and black—symbolize species ofanimal bearsthroughout the world.[1]Though not necessarily referring tohuman skin colororhair color,the flag was designed with inclusion in mind.[2]The bear culture celebratessecondary sex characteristicssuch as growth ofbody hairandfacial hair,traits associated with bears.[3]
Background
[edit]Craig Byrnes created the bear flag inWashington, D.C.in 1995.[4]Byrnes' undergraduate degree inpsychologyinvolved designing a senior project about the bear culture that has exploded since the early 1980s, of which he had firsthand experience. He thought it might be fitting to design a flag that would best represent the bear community and include it with the results of his research. To do this, he received help from another influential member of the bear cultural community. Four variations weresewing machine-constructed and Byrnes won approval to display the four 3-by-5-foot (0.9 m × 1.5 m) prototype flags at theChesapeake Bay"Bears of Summer" events in July 1995.
The winning design (a version created by Paul Witzkoske)[5]is a field of simple horizontal stripes with a paw print in the upper left corner — a layout similar to theleather pride flag.The colors represent the furs of different bear species throughout the world as a sign of inclusivity.[2]It istrademarked.[6]
Gallery
[edit]-
The bear flag flown next to therainbow flagas an expression of bear andgay pride -
An Australian version using the bear paw from the Brotherhood flag -
The bear flag flown at theHelsinki Prideparade in 2022 -
Thishistorical markerin Washington, DC shares local history of the bear flag and bear fraternal organizations
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Martins, António (2007-08-04)."The International Bear Brotherhood Flag".Retrieved15 December2013.
- Sears, James Thomas (2005-01-01).Youth, Education, and Sexualities: An International Encyclopedia.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 701.ISBN9780313327551.
- Jones, Devry (2022-10-22)."DC and the Development of the International Bear Brotherhood Flag".Retrieved22 October2022.
References
[edit]- ^Yuko, Elizabeth (2023-08-22)."The Meaning Behind 32 LGBTQ Pride Flags (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, & More)".Reader's Digest.Retrieved2024-01-26.
- ^abGariano, Francesca (2023-08-21)."The history and meaning of 17 LGBTQ pride flags".Today.Retrieved2024-01-26.
- ^Suresha, Ron (2009).Bears on Bears: Interviews and Discussions.Lethe Press. p. 83.ISBN978-1590212448.
- ^Muzzy, Frank (2005).Gay and Lesbian Washington.Arcadia Publishing. p. 112.ISBN9780738517537.
- ^Witzkoske (2011)."The Bear Flag and My Part in Its Creation".Facebook.
- ^Kampf, Ray (2000).The Bear Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Those Who Are Husky, Hairy and Homosexual, and Those Who Love 'Em(paperback ed.).Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:Haworth Press.ISBN978-1560239970.OCLC43859606.
