Jack Fritscher, an editor and writer for Bear and Drummer magazines, two vintage gay publications which regularly featured furry men on their covers, recalls the Hirsute Club and its newsletter thriving as early as 1982. It’s debatable when the bear community first emerged, but most gay elders concede that it evolved as an offshoot of the leather scene in the late 1970s-early 1980s. “The city not only acknowledges it, but it promotes and celebrates it.” “We host a huge event - the International Bear Convergence - here each year,” Roberts says. Roberts, a Palm Springs resident and former city councilmember, the town has become almost synonymous with bears. During a typical day (beyond the Covid-19 pandemic), you can pop into any queer bar in the city and find a diverse group of LGBT people (and often many straight folks, as well).Īccording to J.R. To call Palm Springs “a bear-friendly city” is like saying Los Angeles contains just a few aspiring actors. Here’s how the bear community began, a breakdown of popular identifiers, and where you can find your tribe in the desert.
