# What is a "blue oyster" and how does it relate to homosexuality?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443 "2012-03-11T04:50:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/1 "2012-03-11T04:50:25Z")
I often see people use the phrase Blue Oyster Bar as a generic name for a gay/lesbian bar, I think this came from the Police Academy movie series where in film there is a gay bar named that(or it was an existing term before the movies). Then of course there is the band Blue Oyster Cult, whose debut predates Police Academy. Looking online I can’t find an explanation of the origin of this term or how it relates to gays or lesbians. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/2 "2012-03-11T07:26:41Z")
The name of the band supposedly comes from their manager, Sandy Pearlman (according to Wikipedia and many other sites). It comes from poetry in which the “blue oyster cult” was a secret group of aliens that help to guide the development of humans here on earth. Back in the 70s, though, it was commonly believed (at least in the area where I grew up) that “blue oyster” referred to eating oysters to improve your virility. There wasn’t any homosexual element associated with it that I ever remember hearing about, but there was definitely a sexual element to it. Considering that the band members themselves apparently weren’t all that happy with the name (there’s a reference to that on the Wikipedia page) I have to wonder if the virility rumor was actually started by the band members, either to have a more “cool” origin for the name or so that they could get more chicks backstage after the shows or whatever. The producers of Police Academy may have chosen that name for their gay bar simply because of its association with male virility. Just a wild guess on my part though. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/3 "2012-03-11T11:23:28Z")
> [@grude](#): > > _ **I often see people use the phrase Blue Oyster Bar as a generic name for a gay/lesbian bar** _, I think this came from the Police Academy movie series where in film there is a gay bar named that(or it was an existing term before the movies). > > Then of course there is the band Blue Oyster Cult, whose debut predates Police Academy. > > Looking online I can’t find an explanation of the origin of this term or how it relates to gays or lesbians. (bolding mine) By ‘_ **often** _’, how frequently are you meaning, and where exactly are you seeing this? :dubious: And just _ **who** _ are these ‘people’ that you’re referring to? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/4 "2012-03-11T11:37:00Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > (bolding mine) > > By ‘_ **often** _’, how frequently are you meaning, and where exactly are you seeing this? :dubious: > And just _ **who** _ are these ‘people’ that you’re referring to? Probably at least ten times in the last few years, the most recent time being on this board in this post(which is what inspired me to make the thread). [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14855791&postcount=33](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14855791&postcount=33) > [@](#): > > Oh - Facebook is another way family members might find out. If your son doesn’t want people to find out by accident then he might want to hide some things from them. Or it could be a very easy subtle way to come out… “Why is xtisme Jr going to so many gay events? Why does he keep checking in at the Blue Oyster Bar?” ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/5 "2012-03-12T20:37:37Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Considering that the band members themselves apparently weren’t all that happy with the name (there’s a reference to that on the Wikipedia page) I have to wonder if the virility rumor was actually started by the band members, either to have a more “cool” origin for the name or so that they could get more chicks backstage after the shows or whatever. Raw oysters as an aphrodisiac predates the Blue Oyster Cult band by several centuries. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/6 "2012-03-12T22:37:21Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Raw oysters as an aphrodisiac predates the Blue Oyster Cult band by several centuries. And here’s why: [![](https://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/eisen-uli/2653710_500.jpg) ](https://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/eisen-uli/2653710_500.jpg) Cut and paste the link to see the photo. It’s not super work safe, but it truly is just a picture of an oyster, however. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/7 "2012-03-12T23:38:04Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > And here’s why: > > [Photo Storage](http://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/eisen-uli/2653710_500.jpg) > > Cut and paste the link to see the photo. It’s not super work safe, but it truly is just a picture of an oyster, however. But that ain’t blue! (Not in the literal sense, anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/8 "2012-03-13T14:25:46Z")
If it’s blue, you need to see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/9 "2012-03-13T14:37:25Z")
Heh. I’m currently growing mushrooms at home. Shitake, Phoenix Oysters, and Blue Oysters. Heh. [Blue oyster 'shrooms. Yummy.](http://www.tulipsinthewoods.com/food-plants/blue-oyster-mushrooms/) ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/10 "2012-03-13T20:13:16Z")
I ate a dozen oysters last night and only 6 of them worked! ---
**Author:** ![nulldevice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@nulldevice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nulldevice)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/11 "2016-01-12T07:33:17Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > But that ain’t blue! (Not in the literal sense, anyway.) You gave me idea that “oyster” stands for “a girl/woman” and she IS blue because men in that bar aren’t interested in her. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-blue-oyster-and-how-does-it-relate-to-homosexuality/615443/12 "2016-01-12T15:36:12Z")
We used to have a bar around here that had “blue” in the name (here being GA). Being out in the boonies, it was the only tavern around. So business clients were very often taken to it. Many times, clients expressed surprise that it wasn’t a gay bar. Apparently, bars with colors in their name, was/is commonly code for a gay bar. At least this was the impression of many of our clients who came from the WI-OH-MI region.