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Gay bear studies all have been done by Western researchers and involve Western populations. Comparable studies on non-Western cultures are lacking. Preliminary quantitative and qualitative studies were undertaken to explore Chinese gay bears' physical and psychological characteristics, as well as personal needs related to and cultural perspectives on Chinese gay bear identity. Quantitative data (N = 646) suggest Chinese gay-bear-identified men, as compared to non-gay-bear-identified gay men, are heavier, hairier, and more masculine traits, and have a higher likelihood of feeling more confident in gay bear community life than in the heterosexual world. Qualitative data (N = 12) found Chinese gay bears desired to become popular, achieve higher status, and gain emotional attachment in gay bear community. Discussion covers cultural aspects including collectivism, binarism, and exam-oriented education.
Keywords: gay bears, Chinese gay communities, physical appearance, masculinity, self-esteem, collectivism
"Gay bear" is a subcultural identity in gay community and involves the pitting of "bear" value against more mainstream standards of gay male beauty (Moskowitz, Turrubiates, Lozano, & Hajek, 2013). There are many gay bear subtypes including Grizzly Bear (referring to White, hairier, and heavier gay male physiques), Big Teddy Bear (a bigger Grizzly Bear), Cub (a younger, hairy, and little heavier gay man), Polar Bear (an older Grizzly Bear and an enthusiast of Cubs), as well as ethnically inflected gay bears such as Black Bear (African-American descent) and Brown Bear (Latin descent) (Monaghan, 2005). One quantitative study revealed gay bears had heavier, shorter, and hairier physical traits, had lower selfesteem, and more pronounced masculine psychological traits (Moskowitz, Turrubiates, Lozano, & Hajek, 2013). However, all gay bear studies have been done by Western researchers and included North American and European subjects (Gough & Flanders, 2009; Hennen, 2005; Manley, Levitt, & Mosher, 2007; Monaghan, 2005; Moskowitz, Turrubiates, Lozano, & Hajek, 2013; Suresha, 2002; Wright, 1997). Whereas Moskowitz, Turrubiates, Lozano and Hajek (2013) mention Panda Bears, defined as Asian, hairy and heavier gay men, the term was used in reference to Asian-American, not Asian, gay men. Asian-American are born, raised, or received education in the U.S. (Lew, 2006), so their gay bear definitions, identifications, and bear-lover orientations may differ from those of Asian gay men. No study of Asian gay bears was encountered in the...