Overweight, Bearded Gay Men, Who Call Themselves Bears

Photograph by Valerie (ucumari), under a Creative Commons license.

Three of my favorite local Queens organizations were mentioned in a New York Times article last week. Unfortunately, it was about how Congressman Anthony Weiner had to cancel appearances at events organized by two of them—the Queens Lesbian & Gay Pride Committee and Queens Pride House—and it referred, unnamed and described rather unflatteringly, to New York Bear Den. Reporter Dan Bilefsky wrote

On Monday evening, Mr. Weiner…canceled an appearance at a forum at Queens Pride House in Jackson Heights on the implications of health care reform for the gay community.

On Sunday, the congressman…did not appear at a gay pride march in Queens.

Pauline Park, President of Pride House, said Mr. Weiner, a proponent of gay rights, would have found a sympathetic crowd at the community center, which has hosted events ranging from Nepalese dance troupes to support groups for H.I.V-positive mothers and fathers and mixers for overweight, bearded gay men, who call themselves bears.

Related

• Dan Bilefsky, “Weiner Cancels Another Public Appearance, at Gay Forum,” section of “Weiner Says He Sent Photos and Lied, but Won’t Resign,” City Room, The New York Times, 6 June 2011.
• Christopher Dufault, “Someone Needs a Bear Hug!,” Internals Plural, 6 June 2011.

• Last modified 31 March 2012.
• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5zTas6CGB (and based upon Fb).
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