WHY "bearadise"?

"Beardise" is a play on words; a combination of "bear" and paradise". We have long considered ourselves "bears" within the gay community. In gay culture, a bear is a larger and often hairier man who projects an image of rugged masculinity.

The bear concept can function as an identity or an affiliation, and there is an ongoing debate in bear communities about what constitutes a bear. Some bears place importance on presenting a clear masculine image and may disdain or shun men who exhibit effeminacy, while others consider acceptance and inclusiveness of all behavioral types to be an important value of the community.

Excerpt from Out Magazine:

On July 26, 1979, The Advocate magazine published an article on "bears". There seems to be some discussion about who actually coined the term "bear" as a descriptive for some gay men. Some claim it was Richard Bulger, who, along with his then-partner, Chris Nelson (1960–2006), founded Bear Magazine in 1987. Nope. It was us. 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 blithley categorize other gay men and lesbians as types of animals in the zoo. See the 1979 article below: