Otter gay man example
The Guysexual’s Guide To Same-sex attracted Tribes And What They Mean
Kartik is having an existential crisis.
What is it? The inevitability of death? The crushing loneliness of realising all humans inherently are and will depart alone? The meaninglessness of his dead-end job? The purpose of life? I’ve clearly thought this through.
Kartik shrugs, it’s worse. He doesn’t know what his gay tribe is.
What is a gay tribe?
No, a gay tribe is not a group of still-surviving, nomadic queer men. A tribe is, in proof, a social grouping of gay men based solely on their ~body type~ key physical characteristics. Also a feature of Grindr’s profile settings, tribes exist to help you find men you are attracted to, based on the quantity of hair on their bodies, and muscle on their bulk.
You start off with some pretty self-explanatory stereotypes: Twinks, Femmes, Geeks, Jocks and Daddies. And then in descending command of size/hair (yes, hair) and kink, you’ve got Bears, Wolves, Cubs and Otters. Is this marginalising the gay community or moulding a human zoo?
Kartik thinks that gay men shouldn’t be sorted into tribes according to their body type; this isn’t Hogwarts. He also finds it hard to relate to any one
Gay men have become increasingly tribal, choosing to place themselves into a box that binds them with kindred spirits. What are the advantages of this and what are the potential pitfalls? Lee Williscroft-Ferris discusses.
The concept of ‘community’ is complex to utter the least. Keeping what should be a team of like-minded individuals singing from the same hymn sheet can be challenging. Self-styled communities are, by their very nature, imperfect. Unless there is absolute ‘homogeneity’, a healthy dose of fractiousness and occasional rumblings of disunity are as inevitable as they are desirable.
The LGBTQ+ people is no different in this regard. It can be incredibly difficult to keep people under the LGBTQ+ umbrella ‘united’ in the face of wildly divergent concerns, priorities and experiences. This is exacerbated further by a reluctance on the part of some to engage in an intersectional analysis of the progress made towards LGBTQ+ liberation.
Obviously, accepting a common purpose does not necessitate a rejection of what makes us unlike. Nowhere is this more evident than in the use of tribal identifiers such as ‘bear’, R
Types
Some gay men use types to describe, identify and communicate themselves. Who hasn't heard someone say “he’s my type" or been asked if a guy is yours? There is always some disagreement around the terms we operate and whether we should use them at all.
Therefore, you should be sensitive if applying a type to someone, bearing in mind some gay men reject them altogether as narrow, superficial, and demeaning. Equally, some use types affectionately and as a convenient shorthand.
It's a bit of a bear pit (no pun intended), but here's our take on types, though you are perfectly entitled to fling them out and be your own gay, your own homo, queer, etc.
Physical types and personal characteristics
Some guys are primarily attracted to physical types of gay men (eg: bears, twinks, and muscle guys) while some find characteristics in men most attractive (eg: warmth, intelligence, and humour). Others mix and match and understanding these distinctions is important.
For example, the type(s) of men we find attractive sexually may not necessarily be the qualities we are looking for to sustain a relationship. Trouble is, we can get so caught up in a type we can forfeit sight that not far ben
Otter is a term used by gay men, referring to a subset of men who blend the physical and social traits of both bears and twinks, both invoking and defying traditional masculinity. Otters may be defined by physical appearance, tastes, verbalization of traditionally gendered traits, and/or personal affiliation.[1][2]
The generic image of an otter is a man of average build with a fair amount of body hair, and usually dressing in ways that combine traditional masculinity with a subversion of it. Otter presentation often leans into the casual, and otters are frequently considered to be laid back. They are distinguished from bears physically by their smaller frames as well as through their presentation creature further distanced from the ruggedly masculine aesthetic. Homosexual men who fit the description of otters often consider themselves unaligned due to their balance of both masculine and feminine expressions of their manhood.
The origin of the otter label is unclear, but most agree it began as one of the many sub-categories of bears, allowing a same-sex attracted tribe for men who prioritize gender expression across their physical body as well as their presentation and appearanc
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