A Texas-based clothing-optional campsite for gay men recently announced a policy excluding trans men from its premises. Among the queer campers who regularly patron the site, the bear community has been leading the backlash.
Grizzly Pines, an outdoor venue in Navasota, Texas, chose Trans Day of Visibility to reiterate its trans-exclusionary policies. The social media post argued that the campgrounds provide safe spaces for groups who face “judgment even from within the broader LGBTQ+ community.” Apparently, that’s cisgender men.
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“This campground was created as a haven specifically for men who historically lacked spaces where they could express themselves openly without outside judgment even from within the broader LGBTQ+ community,” the venue wrote, according to The Advocate. “We’re not anti-trans; we’re just focused on preserving this unique sub cultural dynamic.”
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The venue has now deleted the post and muted all comments and reviews.
Grizzly Pines is a popular destination for bear communities in Texas. Given that the bear subculture is all about embracing body types outside the mainstream, several bear groups have responded to this announcement with outrage.
The Houston Bears cancelled their upcoming retreat to Grizzly Pines in May after learning their trans members would not be permitted. “The idea of having an event where we would be forced to tell some of our members ‘not you’ is incompatible with our values,” the Houston Bears said in a statement.
“We know that it is very late in the process, but we also believe that it is never too late to do the right thing.”
The group relocated their event to Rainbow Ranch in Groesbeck and reaffirmed their commitment to trans inclusion. “The Houston Bears welcome and celebrate all men, cisgender and transgender, at our events,” they said.
The South Texas-based RGV bears likewise cancelled their upcoming Grizzly Pines event. “To our RGV Teddy Bear trans members, we will create events that we can continue to enjoy together in siblinghood (bearhood),” the group wrote.
John Anderson, founder of Gay Camping Friends, a group with over 230,000 members, also called out Grizzly Pines. “I think their statement was passive-aggressive,” he told The Advocate. “It had a lot of read-between-the-lines messaging. They said the Houston Bears had a ‘newfound support’ for trans people—and that sounded like mockery to me. There’s irony in saying you’re preserving a male experience while excluding trans men, who are men.”
“Some people treat these campgrounds like places where they should only see people they’re attracted to,” he added. “It’s not about inclusion or community for them—it’s about exclusion based on what they’re uncomfortable with.”
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