Bear Magazine

Infobox Magazine
title = Bear Magazine


image_caption = Jack Radcliffe on the cover of "Bear Magazine" (Issue No. 65, September 2008.)
editor = Steven Wolfe
editor_title = Editor-in-chief
frequency = Quarterly
circulation = 40,000 (2008) (U.S.)
category = Men's magazines
publisher = Bear Omnimedia LLC
firstdate = 1987
country = flagicon|USA United States
based = Las Vegas, NV, United States
language = English
|issn = 1942-4515

"Bear Magazine" (ISSN|1942-4515) is one of the longest-established erotic periodicals specifically geared toward gay men who are — or who admire — masculine men with body or facial hair, i.e., bears. First published in San Francisco, CA the magazine used the tagline "Real Men, Real Sex, Real Hot." [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Serial No. 75623942] "Bear" and its early readers were part of the emergence and mainstreaming of the bear community into the larger LGBT communities.cite journal | last = Abley | first = Sean | year = 2005 | title = The Politics of Fur | journal = Advocate | date = August 26, 2005 | issue = 944 | pages = pp. 80-82 ]

Chronology

Richard Bulger and Chris Nelson started the magazine in 1987 as a photo-copied flyer, published from their apartment. "Bear" grew, over the course of years, into an internationally distributed glossy magazine, which featured erotic photographs of masculine, mature men, and erotic stories. There was also a classified personals section which, before the emergence of the internet, was one of the few ways for bears to find compatible romantic and sexual partners, and to network with like-minded men. Bulger and Nelson first established Creative Options Associates (COA) to publish the magazine. In 1991, COA became Brush Creek Media Inc., named for Brush Creek, California, the town where their vacation cabin was located. Brush Creek Media obtained a registered trademark for "Bear Magazine" in 1992, as simply "magazines for men." [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Registration No. 1710026]

The company's various publications, as well as clothing and lifestyle products, were originally displayed and sold at the "Bear Magazine" office-store" above a 1908 former fire-house at the corner of 16th and Albion Streets in San Francisco. In 1994 Brush Creek Media moved to the "The Bear Store", at 367 9th Street in the South-of-Market district which is the center of San Francisco's historical gay leather district. Rick Redewill's Lone Star Saloon relocated less than a block away after losing its Mission Street location to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, eventually becoming the bear bar which, with "The Bear Store" and nearby bars, shops and hotels catering to the bear communities formed a bear circuit for events like the annual international bear events, Folsom Street Fair and similar events that attracted tourists.

Beardog Hoffman purchased Brush Creek Media Inc. in 1994 and began expanding the company into several special-interest gay magazines and video series. In 2002 Brush Creek Media closed its doors when the IRS seized its inventory.Fact|date=September 2008 "Bear Magazine" was one of the casualties and publication ceased after issue #64. "100% Beef Magazine" launched soon thereafter by former employees of Brush Creek Media, including two former editors and many of the writers, photographers, and artists. "100% Beef Magazine" is now in its 7th year of publication.

In 2006, The "Bear Magazine" trademark was judicially assigned and registered to Butch Media Ltd of Las Vegas, Nevada, a creditor of Brush Creek Media. Similarly, in 2007 the court assigned "Bear Magazine" and the Brush Creek Media copyrights to Butch Media Ltd. [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Registration No. 3106110-11] Bear Omnimedia LLC, the parent company of Butch Media Ltd, now offers erotic DVDs, a re-launch of "Bear Magazine" in August 2008 (with issue #65) and DVD re-releases of some older VHS titles originally released by Brush Creek Media.

References

ee also

* List of gay pornographic magazines

External links

* [http://www.bear-magazine.com Bear Magazine's Official Site]