A Greek court dismissed the residents’ request that ‘lesbian’ not be used to indicate gay women. The residents argued that it insulted their identity. The court said too bad, it does not define your identity, oh, and by the way you owe us 230 euros for court expenses.

The isle of Lesbos was the home to ancient poetess Sappho, which is how the term was coined. It has become a vacation spot for gay women from around the world. Other island residents testified that they thought the word lesbian had brought attention to the island, increasing tourism.

Even if the court had ruled in the residents’ favor, we’re not sure what good it would have done. We’re pretty sure the rest of the world would keep right on using it.

Post from: Simply Dumb

People on the island are known as Lesbians. And the plaintiffs in this court action want a gay group, the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, to be barred from using ‘lesbian’ in their title. The island is a preferred destination for gay women, many of whom come to visit Sappho’s home town of Eressos.

The plaintiffs feel that the use of the word insults the people of Lesbos, and tries to usurp their identity. They don’t want to discourage gay women from visiting the island, but just want the word ‘lesbian’ removed from the group’s title. Residents of Lesbos have been known as Lesbians for thousands of years, while it’s only been linked with gay women for the last few decades.

I guess if women from the isle of Lesbos introduce themselves as Lesbians, it can cause a little bit of confusion in today’s knowledge of the term. But can they really stop the group from using the word? We’ll have to wait to find out.

Image: Newscom 

Post from: Simply Dumb