Please Bear With Me: Gay Tattoos By Cory Harris

How valuable is self expression if you don’t feel allowed to be true to yourself? Cory Harris, an artist at Loyalty Tattoos, has had an incredible journey—from coming out as gay and going to jail for his art before finally coming to terms with himself and feeling comfortable to create art how he wants to.

Harris had an early fascination with tattoos; his father and grandfather were in the military, where he was first exposed to them. “Up until the ‘90s, you either had military tattoos or prison tattoos,” says Harris. “I remember visiting my grandfather—he had an eagle on his forearm and a dagger through a heart—and I was completely blown away. At the time, it was like finding out you could play God and decorate your body with artwork. From then on, I was obsessed.”

“I remember visiting my grandfather—he had an eagle on his forearm and a dagger through a heart—and I was completely blown away.”

Feeling like an outsider, Harris soon was enthralled with another form of art that, like tattoos, existed on the fringes of acceptable expression. “When I was 13 or 14, I saw that somebody had tagged ‘Love’ on a building with a peace sign for the ‘O.’ I was like, ‘Who got up on this building that was three stories tall, without anyone seeing, just to relay this message?’ and I was hooked,” says Harris.

Soon, Harris was spending his nights creating graffiti art wherever he could. It be came a comfort for him that he could create without revealing his identity. “I think one of the things that drew me to graffiti was that it’s anonymous,” explains Harris. “I could be a man or woman or whoever—it doesn’t matter who I am. No one could judge me as a person, they could only see my artwork.”

Unfortunately, that judgment was more present in the tattoo community, but Harris’ passion for the art allowed him to openly be his true self in time. “Being gay in the masculine tattoo world was very difficult in the beginning,” says Harris. “In the early 2000’s, I didn’t think I could be myself. I didn’t want to be seen as weak or less than … I think authenticity is important in art and in tattooing.”

“In the early 2000’s, I didn’t think I could be myself. I didn’t want to be seen as weak or less than … I think authenticity is important in art and in tattooing.”

Harris served jail time and probation for his graffiti, but being an artist is what allowed him to persevere through it. “I think the community of subcultures is important,” says Harris. “I have a community from tattooing, I have a community from graffiti, I have an LGBTQ+ community and they all support me. My shop, Loyalty Tattoos, has been amazingly supportive of me, and those communities have helped me survive through life.”

When coming out, Harris found it difficult to find his place—the stereotype of effeminate gay men that he’d see on TV just wasn’t who he was. “It was like having a second coming out when I found the bear community,” says Harris. “At first, it was hard to explain to friends and family that not only am I into dudes, but big, burly, hairy dudes as well. The bear community is where I fell into place. That’s where I am most authentic.”

“I thought, ‘Why couldn’t we do this with men?’ I really liked drawing guys with curves and hair because that’s what I like.”

Drawing inspiration from this newfound sense of self, Harris has created a new and unique interpretation of a classic tattoo theme. “I’ve always had a love of American traditional tattooing,” says Harris. “The pin-up girls, the anchors and the eagles and how simple and elegant they were. I would draw pin-ups and boobs and try to think what I would want a girl to look [like], and I thought, ‘Why couldn’t we do this with men?’ I really liked drawing guys with curves and hair because that’s what I like.”

Of course, Harris is a talented artist who can work with clients to create whatever they want, even outside of the bear world. You can see the evidence on his Instagram @poisonedwizard, but if you’re interested in those big, hairy bears, he’s definitely your man.

Read more about the local LGBTQ+ community:
Friends Allies and Mentors: Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusive Schools
Access Unclear: Gender-Affirming Care in Utah