What is a "wolf"? (and a chaser/otter/bear/chub/etc.)

I don't think I can remember how I started out in the 'bear' scene. I have always liked bigger, furry men and that, eventually, led me in the right direction.

Originally, I had no idea how I was going to fit in a community where I was supposed to be big and have lots of fur - that was until I found out about the different classifications there are! Thus, I became a 'chaser'; that is, a guy (usually leaner but not exclusively) who is attracted to bigger guys. As years go by, I have been getting furrier and have built up a little, so I found myself being called a 'wolf' (a more aggressive otter/chaser) - which, by the way, is a term I prefer quite a bit.

While surfing the net and researching a bit more about the whole 'gay bear' issue, I came accross a website where you can get your 'bear code' (which helps people who are familiar with it, imagine what you look/are like), mine is B3 d e+ f g+ k m q- r- s t w-. Now, it's not like I can actually picture someone by their bear code; and, actually, I don't know that many people who use it, but I think it is a very interesting concept (you can get yours at www.resourcesforbears.com).

Lately, a lot of people have asked me about the 'wolf' concept and what it means, which got me thinking about something kind of ironic: the members of the bear community are, in a way, people who were labeled and, in most cases, rejected for not being in the mainstream... And even so (or because of this?) now it is one of the subcommunities which has different classifications amongst its members...

Somehow, it makes a lot of sense and, at least for me, instead of promoting a segregation, I think it helps create a feeling of 'belonging to the group'... In some places...

See, in Mexico, because of the way we are, this is used in the complete opposite way. Bears tend to be very 'elitist' and exclude those who don't fit the 'bearish' stereotype - ironically, most so-called Mexican bears are actually just chubs, since they don't have much fur! So, the labels become a tool to exclude people from the group instead of adapting the sleuth to the diversity... Such a waste!

Actually, I have some friends who, initially, refused to be acknowledged as bears because of the stereotype they knew and found it weird that I could somehow feel part of the community... I think the people who form a community shouldn't change to fit it but rather the rules of the group can be modified to include and grow constantly...

Perhaps I'm very idealistic on topics like this but I think that this could be the key to why the bears in this country aren't nearly as inclusive as they could be...