Gavin Chow
Malaysia
The Winner – Mr. Bear International 2026
I have been an LGBTQ human rights activist in Malaysia for 11 years. I lead queer community initiatives, collaborating on advocacy campaigns and activities, as well as working on improving service infrastructure for LGBTQ people in Malaysia.
What inspired you to join Mr Bear?
I want to reach out to a wider LGBTQ community through the Mr Bear platforms, so I can increase the outreach of my activism work. At the same time, I would like to inspire the bear and plus size queer community to feel empowered, desired and dare to claim spaces, either through the queer spaces, or civic spaces.
What has been the highlight of your journey in Mr Bear so far?
I have had the privilege to meet the global bear and queer community through various platforms, had many meaningful exchanges either through issues concerning the queer community or social and political issues. It was definitely a massive intellectual and emotional stimulation experience for me.
Have you ever been bullied because of how you look?
Can you tell us about this, and how you have overcome that?
I was made fun of and bullied in school, sometimes it was because of my body, and sometimes it was due to my effeminate mannerisms. In school, I had to correct my mannerisms so that I wouldn’t look sissy. I hunched my back a lot so that my man boobs weren’t showing, I learned to play online games and sports with the boys, so I won’t become the victim of bullying. However, I was always a depressed kid because I felt like I couldn’t be myself, and had to live under a mask.
Tell us why you think it is important to have Mr Bear?
It is important to have a pageant that holds different beauty standards, to provide a space where bear and plus size queer people can feel belonged. I believe humans thrive in diversity, and communities. Mr Bear is one of the spaces to celebrate these values I hold very dear to my heart.
Do you have any advice you’d like to give to anyone who may want to join the competition next year and how they can prepare for it ?
While it may be more straightforward for folks to mould their body to a particular standard and look good on stage, I think the real work is how you can become your authentic self and be proud, secure, and confident about yourself. I think my human rights background does provide a lot of opportunities and tools to reflect on who I am as a person, and allows me to express who I am, what matters to me, to the world.
Anything else you would like to share?
The existence of queer people is political, while communities need to cope, survive and support one another. I feel it is also equally important for us to craft spaces for us to be ourselves and find joy in the process.
