# Bearings — Global Bear Community Infrastructure

Bearings is a verified directory of the global gay bear community.

## What we contain
- Events: bear runs, festivals, cruises, socials (88 active events, 25+ countries)
- Places: bars, leather bars, saunas, campgrounds (173 venues)
- Clubs: community clubs and organising associations (49 clubs)
- Title holders: competition winners 1992–present (148 records, IBR complete)
- Competitions: 27 active bear title competitions worldwide
- Creators: musicians, DJs, authors, illustrators, filmmakers, historians (46 verified)
- Digital spaces: apps, Discord, podcasts, Twitch (35 spaces)
- Bear history: community milestones 1987–present (58 records)
- Campaigns: active charity fundraising (12 campaigns)
- Shops: bear-owned shops, gear, and books by bear authors (24 shops)

## API endpoints
GET /api/events            — all upcoming events (?country=X &month=September)
GET /api/events/ical.ics   — iCal feed, subscribable by URL
GET /api/events/by-month   — event density by month (powers timeline chart)
GET /api/places            — all active venues (?country=X &place_type=bar)
GET /api/clubs             — community clubs (?country=X)
GET /api/title-holders     — competition archive (?title_name=X &year=X)
GET /api/title-holders/current — current holders per competition
GET /api/creators          — community creators (?creator_type=musician)
GET /api/digital-spaces    — apps, Discord, podcasts (?space_type=discord)
GET /api/stories           — oral histories and community essays
GET /api/bear-history      — community milestones 1987–present
GET /api/campaigns         — active charity campaigns
GET /api/treasury          — the Base/USDC wallet that keeps the lights on
GET /api/bear-future       — community funding proposals
GET /api/inclusion-flags   — CONST-10 inclusion flag reference

## MCP server (for AI agents)
A Model Context Protocol server is live at POST /mcp (JSON-RPC over HTTP). Every query
tool is read-only; the one write tool (submit_suggestion) only appends to a moderated
review queue — it never edits the directory. Point any MCP client at
https://bearings.community/mcp to query the directory.
Tools: search_events, list_places, get_event, get_place, event_venues, event_titleholders,
event_relations, event_schedule, event_media, event_creators, current_title_holders, list_clubs, list_creators,
list_campaigns, list_digital_spaces, and submit_suggestion.
get_event(id)/get_place(id) fetch one entity by id. event_venues(event_id) returns the linked
venues + bear-friendly places with distance_km ("the venue plus nearby stays/brunches").
event_titleholders(event_id) is the reverse lookup ("who to meet"). event_relations(event_id)
returns how an event composes into a trip — pairs_with/precedes/follows/combine_with/nearby links
to other events or places (itinerary building). event_schedule(event_id) returns the programme
(timed sub-items). event_media(event_id) returns producer promo images — posters, schedule
posters (kind='schedule'), hero/venue shots — each with source_url + credit; also embedded as
`media` in search_events/get_event rows. event_creators(event_id) is the line-up — DJs,
musicians, drag performers tied to an event (role + official), also embedded as `lineup` in
event rows. search_events filters: country, city, type, from/to (date range),
has_inclusion_flag (CONST-10 code, array-contains), has_vibe (taste tag, array-contains),
meal (meal component, array-contains), series (series_key — every edition of a recurring event),
q. list_places filters add can_stay, bear_owned, has_inclusion_flag, has_vibe. Events also carry
series_key (recurring-series identity), ticket_url, price_from, producer, map_url (venue/route/
transit map), vibe_tags (taste/feel) and meal_tags; places carry vibe_tags too.
search_events and list_places return rich rows: inclusion flags (inclusion_flag_codes/notes),
geo (lat/lng), freshness (active/updated_at/source), plus per-event host-hotel room block,
charity, size/attendance — and per-place bear-friendly signals (bear_owned/welcoming/popular),
lodging (can_stay/booking_link/misterbnb_link), dining (brunch_available/cuisine_type/price_range)
and verified. CONST-6: for events/places in criminalised countries, privacy_mode is true and
every field more precise than the country (city/lat/lng/address/host_hotel) is redacted at source.
submit_suggestion(kind, subject, detail, source_url, reporter) queues a new-listing or
correction into the moderation queue for a steward to review — Bearings decides what becomes
canonical (one-way authority). A reporter matching a current title holder is flagged high-trust.

## Governance
Run by a volunteer steward and kept transparent. Formal governance is deferred to the future — if Bearings outgrows a single steward, a community model (possibly a DAO) can be introduced then.
Legal: unincorporated association. Contact: ursasteward@pm.me