Bears of San Francisco

Last Year, after one of the shows, one of my students Sam, introduced me to his friend Scott. Scott is a member of the Bears of San Francisco (www.bosf.org) , a non-profit organization serving the San Francisco Bay Area Bear Community. Well Scott informed me that they have beneficiary program to organizations that represent diversity and encouraged the SFFHDF to apply for a grant.
We are so happy to say we were awarded a grant by the Bears of San Francisco! I would have not thought they they were so organized and so supportive in the community, how cool!
If you dont know what a bear is and you are curious,

WHAT IS A BEAR?

The Term "Bear" has come to mean so many different things to different people, it is hard to clearly define it. "Bear" is a gay male identity label, that generally refers to a decidedly masculine man with a commanding presence and size, and quite often has natural facial and body hair.
Calling a man a "bear" is usually a term of endearment and dichotomy.
Since the introduction of teddy bears, bears have become the symbol of cute and cuddly, yet bears represent the toughness and ruggedness normally associated with hyper masculinity.
Definitions
"Bear" more often than not, represents an attitude. A sense of comfort with ones own masculinity and body that doesn't cater as much the styles and models so prevalent in most gay circles. The most common definition of a "bear" is a man who is hairy, has facial hair, and a cuddly body. However, the word "Bear" means many things to different people, even within the bear movement.
Many men who do not have one or all of these characteristics define themselves as bears, making the term a very loose one. Suffice it to say, "bear" is often defined as more of an attitude than anything else - a sense of comfort with our natural masculinity and bodies that is not slavish to the vogues of male attractiveness that is so common in gay circles and the culture at large. Bear as a gay male self-identity developed in the late 1980s and 1990s.