Where The Bears Are – Season 2: Episode 5 LEATHER BEARS from Where the Bears Are on Vimeo.
The Bears infiltrate the Faultline, a popular Silver Lake leather bar to track down Elliot Butler’s campaign aide Mo Kapoor (Ray Singh), who they are convinced is connected to his murder. Meanwhile, Reggie blows off a potential suitor (Mark Rowe), Wood tries to hide the fact he’s fooling around with both Detective Winters and Detective Martinez, and Todd (Ian Parks) intervenes when Nelson and Reggie are threatened by a couple of burly thugs named Bert and Ernie. Nelson: Ben Zook. Reggie: Rick Copp. Wood: Joe Dietl. Detective Winters: Chad Sanders. Detective Martinez: George Unda. Bert: Michael Johnson. Ernie: Dana Agens. Bartender: Brad Kalvo.
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Cool
A bit of “Bear” history at this location. There’s been a gay bar at this location for 37 years under different names…The Stud (’76-’87); The Zone ( 6 months in ’87); Griff’s (’88-’94) and the Faultline (’94-today…opened 2 weeks after the Northridge quake). Back in ’79, George Mazzei was drinking at Griff’s with his friend and were discussing his preferences in hookups. He liked big, beefy bear-like guys. He and his friend then started to describe other types by seven animal names. He then went on to write the article “Who’s Who in the Zoo” ( The Advocate,7/26/79, issue 272, p.42). This was the first nationwide use of the term “Bear”. Though the phrase “bear of a man” was long popular, its first use with regards to gays was noted in the minutes of “The Satyrs” motorcycle club back in ’66..the first gay bike club in the U.S., founded in L.A.in ’54 and the oldest continuous gay organization in the U.S. That was in reference to a S.F. club, The Koala, which put out a bar newsletter, “The Bear Facts”. By ’87, Rich Bulger & Chris Nelson started Bear magazine in S.F, mainstreaming the term and were friends with the guy that opened the Lone Star bar there in ’89, the first true Bear/leather/biker bar. So the Faultline carries on the leather/bear tradition along with the Eagle LA. here in Los Angeles.
I LOVE MY BEARS!!!!!
I love da bears in leather.
Fun guys. I don’t want to miss an episode.
Ian Parks looks so hot in this, especially at the beginning of the vid.
I love bears!
Thanks and “kudos” to “behairy”. Too often our “cultural history” gets lost in the Pride celebrations. Young homosexuals (male and female) are not learning what came before their current freedoms. Magnus Hirchfeld, the origins of the “pink triangle”, the Mattachine (?) Society, the Daughters of Bilitis, the origins of “Pride” celebrations, etc. are all landmarks of the struggle, largely under the oppression of the “Abrahamic cults” (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) that have been required to get our “people” to this point.
Thanks guys, AJBottom2, for your kind words. History is important…you don’t know where you’re going till you know where you’ve been. The Silver Lake district is filled with gay history. The Mattachine Society you mentioned was founded here on Cove Ave by Harry Hay in 1950 at the SE end of Silver Lake reservoir. On 4/7/12, Harry’s 100th birthday, the City dedicated the public steps at Cove/ Silver Lake Blvd as “The Mattachine Steps” to honor his work.
The seeds and organizations that made Stonewall happen were sowed here 2 years before as well, but that’s another story. The 44th anniversary of Stonewall is this Friday… carry on the fight for equality!
Congrats to all of us in California…the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage today, but 35 State’s Constitutions still outlaw it, so we carry on…