The Bears are probably not just the happiest of all the genres in the LGBTQIA+ community, but they are also among the best organized. They have played a powerful role in LGBTQ+ history, creating spaces of belonging, visibility, and connection.  Currently packing the streets and beaches of Provincetown for the Annual Bear Week, more than a few of them will be next making tracks to Wilton Manors for the opening of BEAR WITNESS.

It’s being hosted by Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library in Wilton Manors, Florida  (i.e., the very gay part of Fort Lauderdale) and is an exhibition exploring the history, identity, and culture of the Bear community.  It covers its early roots in 1960s Los Angeles to the vibrant movement it is today and is an abridged history of Bear identity and culture in the LGBTQ+ world — including a few things you may not know.

The term “Bear” first appeared in a gay context in 1966 Los Angeles, long before it became widely recognized. Over the next two decades, scattered pockets of community slowly found one another, weaving together a culture that had existed quietly in bars, backrooms, and friendships. What emerged was a vibrant, affirming space where people who once felt isolated could finally see themselves reflected and celebrated.