What is community? How do we build it? How do we sustain it? Mr VicBear 2026 is hosting a community conversation on Saturday ahead of Southern Hibearnation to find out.
At the beginning of the year, Justin won the title of Mr VicBears 2026, giving him the chance to represent the community that has given him so much.
“The bear community, for me, has been a place of finding who I am, finding my confidence and finding home,” he told QNews.
“I met a lot of my friends through the bear community. It feels good. I feel confident, sexy and desired.”
“I don’t feel pressure to have to meet societal beauty standards, to put it mildly, but it just feels like home. For me, the bears are where I’m the most comfortable.”
Already a prominent member in the community and popular drag performer as Holi Dae Knight, Justin had entered the title competition before.
But when he stepped onto the stage in January and competed for the title, he came back with purpose, something the community and judges clearly responded to.
Justin announced as Mr Vicbears 2025Source: Facebook
What does it really mean to give back?
“The first time I competed, I lost sight of why I was doing it,” he said, “And then I had some health issues during that week of competition, which took me out a little bit.”
“It wasn’t the right time, and looking back, it’s probably for the best that I didn’t win that time round.”
“Then competing in the VicBears community All Stars fundraiser allowed me just to enjoy the competition side of things and camaraderie of my contestants.
“We were putting on a show without the added stress of the behind-the-scenes interviews and that kind of thing. I found myself in a much better place mentally, in terms of who I am and why I really wanted this title.
“I’m at that point where a title will help me platform and reach a wider audience to further that work I’ve been doing in the background for years, with the bears and with drag, and it felt like the right time to go for it again.
“I just put it all out there and did my absolute best that I could, and it turned out for the best.”
This Saturday afternoon, Justin is hosting his first event under his title at UBQ on Smith St.
He will host a forum for an honest conversation about what it really means to give back to the community with a panel of respected community leaders.
Each has made significant contributions to Victoria’s LGBTQIA+ community and beyond, and with them, Justin will explore what it takes to build resilient, connected, and enduring communities.
Image: SuppliedPhoto by Matto Lucas
What does it mean to build, maintain and find community spaces?
“I wanted to do this event in a way that showed a broad spectrum of ways people can give back to the community,” Justin said.
“So I looked for people that I knew that I had seen doing work behind the scenes, not just publicly.”
“We will grab their perspectives on what community means to them, what it means to build and maintain spaces, their journey to finding spaces and what advice they have for anyone else looking to give back and who may not be sure where to start.”
- Artist and advocate Randy Roy, a producer of drag events that platform marginalised performers,
- Tim Jones, a Professor of History at La Trobe University and President of the Australian Queer Archives,
- Pepper Pop, co-owner and business manager of Eagle Leather, who helps out in the community wherever she is needed,
- Brendan, co-founder of Pride in Water, board member of Proud2Play, and current VicBears All Stars winner, where he raised over $7,000 to support LGBTIQ+ refugees and immigrants through Many Coloured Sky,
- and owner of grassroots queer org Unicorns, Delsi, an LGBTQIA+ gendered violence prevention educator and author of the new WorkSafe Victoria LGBTQIA+ workplace safety toolkit, Being Valued, and Melbourne Rubber 2022 Winner and Vice President Melbourne Rubber.
Together, they will unpack the challenges, responsibilities, and rewards of creating and sustaining spaces where people can truly belong.
Community is more than what you see on the outside
“I wanted to highlight the different kind of work that goes into building and maintaining community spaces, places and events and not just the fun aspects,” Justin said.
“This ranges from volunteering with community organisations, including as a committee member, donating to community orgs, raffles or clubs and uplifting and highlighting people of colour, diverse genders and disabled LGBTQIA+ people.”
“All of these things take real work, often on top of our usual day-to-day responsibilities.”
The panel discussion will begin at 3 pm with a series of curated questions, followed by an open audience Q&A and networking and casual socialising following from 5 pm.
The panel discussion is a bold undertaking, especially one week out from a highlight in the Australasian bear community calendar, Southern Hibearnation.
But for Justin, it is an opportunity to engage and build on community connections ahead of a big week of furry fun and frivolity.
‘It’s always really great when we see people bloom’
Even though the bear community has long been a space for many who feel ‘othered’ in traditional gay and queer male spaces, that doesn’t mean it has been a space people could easily step into.
That’s something Justin wants to help others with.
Southern Hibearnation History walk with Holi 2025Photo by Dean Arcuri
“For those who need it, I’m always happy to answer questions or provide a bit of a friendly face at Bear events,” he said, or to point people in the right direction of what types of events might be more suited for them to dip their toes into the bear or other communities.”
“I love doing that, I love bringing people into the fold and introducing them to others. Finding out their interests and connecting them with others to help them find their space.”
“It’s always really great when we see people bloom, to see them grow and flourish in community. To watch them build huge friendships that feed them out as they become more confident and self-assured person.”
Join Community: A Conversation with Mr VicBears 2026 UBQ Saturday 30 May from 3pm.
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