Bear flag (gay culture)
 | |
| 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 the LGBTQ series |
| LGBTQ symbols |
|---|
| Symbols |
| Pride flags |
The International Bear Brotherhood Flag, also known as the bear flag or the bear pride flag, is a pride flag designed to represent the bear subculture within the LGBTQIA+ community. The colors of the flag symbolize species of animal bears throughout the world: dark brown, orange/rust, golden yellow, tan, white, gray, and black.[1][2] Though not necessarily referring to human skin color or hair color, the flag was designed with inclusion in mind.[3][2] The bear culture celebrates secondary sex characteristics such as growth of body hair and facial hair, traits associated with bears.[4]
Background
[edit]The first recorded flag created to represent the bear community was made in 1992 by Denver's Front Range Bears social club.[2][5]
Craig Byrnes created the most widely adopted version of the bear flag in Washington, D.C. in 1995.[6] A founding member of the Chesapeake Bay Bears, Byrnes designed the flag as part of a senior project on the bear community for his undergraduate psychology degree at Mary Baldwin College, wanting to include a flag representing the community alongside his research.[7] He produced the original colored design using crayons, then enlisted two other members of the bear community to develop it: Paul Witzkoske helped turn the design into a graphic, and Bob Nicholson sewed the first four templates.[7] The four 3-by-5-foot (0.9 m × 1.5 m) machine-sewn prototype flags were displayed and voted on at the Chesapeake Bay Bears' "Bears of Summer" event in July 1995.[7]
The winning design (developed with Paul Witzkoske)[7][8] is a field of simple horizontal stripes with a paw print in the upper left corner — a layout similar to the leather pride flag. The colors represent the furs of different bear species throughout the world as a sign of inclusivity.[3] The flag is trademarked.[9]
Gallery
[edit]
The bear flag flown next to the rainbow flag as an expression of bear and gay pride
An Australian version using the bear paw from the Brotherhood flag
The bear flag flown at the Helsinki Pride parade in 2022
This historical marker in Washington, DC shares local history of the bear flag and bear fraternal organizations
Other
[edit]An International Bear Pride tartan was registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans in 2015. It is based on the colors of the bear flag.[10]
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Martins, António (2007-08-04). "The International Bear Brotherhood Flag". Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- Sears, James Thomas (2005-01-01). Youth, Education, and Sexualities: An International Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 701. ISBN 9780313327551.
- Jones, Devry (2022-10-22). "DC and the Development of the International Bear Brotherhood Flag". Retrieved 22 October 2022.
References
[edit]
- ↑ Yuko, Elizabeth (2023-08-22). "The Meaning Behind 32 LGBTQ Pride Flags (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, & More)". Reader's Digest. Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- 1 2 3 Kampf, Ray (2000). The bear handbook : a comprehensive guide for those who are husky, hairy, and homosexual, and those who love' em. New York: Harrington Park Press. p. 16. ISBN 9781560239963.
- 1 2 Gariano, Francesca (2023-08-21). "The history and meaning of 17 LGBTQ pride flags". Today. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- ↑ Suresha, Ron (2009). Bears on Bears: Interviews and Discussions. Lethe Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-1590212448.
- ↑ "Front Range Bears". Retrieved 2026-06-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Muzzy, Frank (2005). Gay and Lesbian Washington. Arcadia Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 9780738517537.
- 1 2 3 4 Wright, Les K. (January 2, 2024). "The Bear Flag: Craig Byrnes and the International Bear Brotherhood Flag". Bear World Magazine. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
- ↑ 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. ISBN 978-1560239970. OCLC 43859606.
- ↑ "Tartan Details - International Bear Pride". The Scottish Register of Tartans. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
