At the recent Western Roundup celebrations at Bears Perth, local man Jeb Brown took home the title of Mr Bear Perth 2024.

He will now head to Southern HiBearnation in Victoria to compete for the title of Mr Australasian Bear Pageant. Brown’s victory is notable because he is the first transgender contestant to win the prize.

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OUTinPerth spoke to Jeb Brown about his experiences competing and how the Bears community welcomes and embraces diversity.

The Mr Bear Perth competition culminates with a show at Connections nightclub, where each contestant will perform on stage, take part in a fashion show and answer a few questions. But this is only the final stage; over the weekend, the contestants took part in many events and were interviewed by the judges.

You were named the best bear in town, how do you feel?

To be honest, it still takes me a while to wrap my head around this. Honestly, it was a really amazing process. It was a grueling process, but it was very enjoyable and it was cool.

You work so hard to put something together, and you get together with your “brother bears” and put on a show.

It’s like that moment when it’s all over and there’s a crowning moment of sorts. I lost the day, as if everything was in a fog, but the feeling remained, for which I am very grateful.

What prompted you to take part in this competition? It takes a little chutzpah to get on stage and perform.

That’s true. I’m grateful that this wasn’t the first time I’ve performed on stage at Connie’s. I’ve been playing the Rams for a while now, so I’ve kind of passed the test with them, which is good.

It actually played a big role in getting me to where I am today. Earlier this year we had an international tour in Rome, and on the last day of the tournament I was lucky enough to coach the all-transgender match.

Of the 112 world rugby teams, all gay members of those teams were invited to play in one exhibition match. Being a part of this, and being a trans man, I’m just surrounded by 60-70 queer trans people from all over the world who are putting themselves out there on such a physical stage, but at the same time really enjoying the moment of having the chance to just be free to be themselves . Honestly, it was kind of a lightbulb moment for me.

The opportunity to be around people who have been walking the trance walk much longer than I have, and in some cases, people who are just starting out. To feel such a sense of pride, showing off myself, and in some strange way, it was quite difficult. It really made me think, “Dude, what are you waiting for?” and “Whose permission are you waiting for?”

This sounds like a rare opportunity because no matter where you live in the world, you won’t meet that many transgender people at once.

It was crazy when I say “all trans”—it was trans men and women. Anyone who plays sports in the trans community, we all deal with all the chatter that goes on outside of us around our participation in sports. It was pretty damn cool to see trans men and trans women of all skills, abilities, all backgrounds just come out into the field and be happy to represent themselves that way.

It was truly a special moment. It was a real lightbulb moment that made me think, “What are you waiting for?” Come out there.

I’ve been communicating with the Bears for probably three years now. Evenings at the den are always very welcome and I really enjoy the social experience I have there. So I thought, “It’s time to prove myself.” It was a good kick in the ass, got me up and going, and that’s cool.

I’ve always found The Bears to be a truly welcoming and open-minded place, and a place where I can meet people I don’t see in other places.

Some of my closest friends were made through the Bears. On paper we shouldn’t even know each other, there are so many guys here from different, different backgrounds.

I like the fact that Bears provides a social experience for people who don’t have to go to clubs, who don’t have to go to parties, or don’t have to go to the sauna to meet people. You can just spend a Saturday in Lawton Park, chatting and chatting, and who knows who you’ll meet along the way.

They were so welcoming to me from day one.

What did you do on that big night of your stage performance?

I’m 38 years old and I usually think I’m still 21, so I danced. I need to give things a little Maori flair. I have many qualities, but first and foremost I am Māori. This is pretty much how I live. Through a cultural lens, no matter what space.

It was really great that I was able to add a little culture into my performance. Then it got really fun, really camp, really fun, really fast, and the crowd seemed to love it.

The variety of competitors this year was amazing. The diversity of participants resulted in a diverse group of people attending the event. This overlapping meeting of people you wouldn’t normally meet in everyday life. It was really fun and the variety of acts and performances was worth it.

Unfortunately I suffered a small tear in my hamstring which is now getting better, but I got the belt – it was worth it!

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