The BearPair Logo
Our logo is intended to be a way of showing people who we are and what we believe in. It is fairly complex, but then so are we.
- The basic shape consists of two octogons that respresent our multi-faceted family and lifestyle.
- The upper three sections of the inner octagon use the colors of the gay pride flag. This is obviously an indication that we are gay.
- The upper three sections of the larger octogon carry the words Live, Laugh, and Love.
The are from one of our favorite mottos: Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much. They are what keep our lives interesting.
- LIVE WELL
- Living well means to us, living life to the fullest within our means and circumstances. It means taking the time to celebrate each other's involvement in our lives, relishing the richness and diversity of our community and firends, and contributing back to the community.
- LAUGH OFTEN
- Humor is a great healer of the spirit and the body. We enjoy good, well-intended humor and practice it as much as possible. Sometimes things can just get a bit silly but as long as no one is hurt by the fun or jokes, its OK. One essential characteristic of all members of our family is a good sense of humor. Life is too short to be taken seriously.
- LOVE MUCH
- Here we use the term "Love" to refer to caring for each other very deeply. This emotional state is neither being romantically in love nor being "in lust" — although there is a proper place for both.
- The lower three sections of the inner octogon use the colors of the leather pride flag. As you can tell from the other sections of this website, we are long-time members of the leather community.
- The lower three sections of the larger octogon carry the words Trust, Respect, and Care.
These are, in our opinion, essential characteristics for the leather scene as well as for life in general.
- TRUST
- TRUST actually means "Trustworthiness" in this application. We recognize that it is impossible to make someone trust you and it is unwise to expect anyone to trust you unless you prove yourself to be worthy of trust. One essential characteristic of someone who is trustworthy is also an unstated pillar of our family: RESPONSIBILITY. All members of our family are expected to act responsibly and to accept responsibility for their actions
- RESPECT
- Every person is entitled to respect regardless of their station in life or their character; they are due at least the respect we owe to any living creature. We believe that in order to give an individual the respect they are due, you must also treat them with FAIRNESS.
- CARE
- We must genuinely care about our fellow travelers in life and about the community we live in. We believe that if an individual truly cares about his community he will be a good citizen of that community. Thus, CITIZENSHIP is an important characteristic of our family also. To be a good citizen means more than just obeying the laws and voting. It also means giving back to the community by contributing time, talent or resources to improve the community.
- There are two raised triangles that actually conceal the remaining two sections of both octogons. These triangles represent us as the heads of the family. Although we are very open and public people, we also have some things that we prefer to keep to our selves. These triangles do carry the name we have been known by in the gay and leather communities for many years: "The BearPair." These triangles are joined by a golden star that crowns the heart from the leather pride flag. This symbolizes the love that binds us and our family together.
So what does it all mean? You could probably summarize it by saying
We are a gay, male family.
We enjoy life.
We have fun whenever we can.
We have a strong belief in family ethics.
We actively contribute to the communities we live in.
