Gay Standard Time (GST)

A humorous concept used self-deprecatingly by many queers to name a stereotype that gay people — especially gay men — are unpunctual or, as those who commit this sin prefer to say, "fashionably late"; and that gay events somehow always begin no earlier than fifteen minutes after the published starting time.

"Miss Thing must be running on Gay Standard Time," Steve said as he checked his Prada watch for the sixty-ninth time, sighing with frustration over the typical behavior of his gym buddy, Bruce, already 25 minutes late for their pre-circuit party dinner engagement.

"GST Hour" was the former name of a weekly radio program featured on CFBU, 103.7 FM, from St. Catherines, Ontario. The program's name has since been changed to "Fruits n Friends." The program features talk and music for and about the GLBT community.

Named parallels for this concept in other communities, cultures or subcultures have been observed in print or in use online

• Africana.com notes that in Africa, the concept goes by the general term "African Standard Time," but also with the more specific variations of "Nigerian Standard Time," "Kenyan Standard Time," "Namibian Standard Time," etc.
• "Anarchist Standard Time"
• "Asian Standard Time"
• "Bahamian Time"
• "Black Time" (BT) or "Colored People's Time" (CPT); there have been a play, by playwright Leslie Lee, and a television news program both named Colored People's Time.
• "Indian Time"
• "Jamaican Time"
• "Pagan Standard Time"
• "Queer Standard Time" (as the word "gay" itself increasingly is supplanted by the word "queer")

Thanks to these noders for pointing out the following additions:

• Dragoon, for "Anarchist Standard Time"
• Dutchess, for "Bahamian Time" and "Jamaican Time"