Lesbos islanders dispute gay name

By Malcolm Brabant BBC News, Athens

Campaigners on the Greek island of Lesbos are to go to court in an attempt to stop a gay rights organisation from using the term "lesbian".
The islanders say that if they are successful they may then start to fight the word lesbian internationally.
The issue boils down to who has the right to call themselves Lesbians.
Is it gay women, or the 100,000 people living on Greece's third biggest island - plus another 250,000 expatriates who originate from Lesbos?
The man spearheading the case, publisher Dimitris Lambrou, claims that international dominance of the word in its sexual context violates the human rights of the islanders, and disgraces them around the world.
He says it causes daily problems to the social life of Lesbos's inhabitants.
Injunction sought
In court papers, the plaintiffs allege that the Greek government is so embarrassed by the term Lesbian that it has been forced to rename the island after its capital, Mytilini.
An early court date has now been set for judges to decide whether to grant an injunction against the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece and to order it to change its name.
A spokeswoman for the group has described the case as a groundless violation of freedom of expression, and has pledged to fight it.
The term lesbian originated from the poet Sappho, who was a native of Lesbos.
Sappho expressed her love of other women in poetry written during the 7th Century BC.
But according to Mr Lambrou, new historical research has discovered that Sappho had a family, and committed suicide for the love of a man.
Story from BBC NEWS:

interesting.... so all the folks from that town are.. Lesbians? or Lesbos

Etymology


The word lesbian dates back at least to 1732 and lesbianism appears in the 1870 Oxford English Dictionary meaning sexual orientation rather than a reference to Sappho and inhabitants of Lesbos. Lesbian as an adjective is in the 1890 Oxford English Dictionary and as a noun by 1925. Until the early twentieth century lesbian was interchangeable with Sapphist.^[3]

da what wikipedia say o. :)

candygirl wrote:

interesting.... so all the folks from that town are.. Lesbians? or Lesbos

i doubt it but...

candygirl wrote:

krazzy wrote: Etymology The word lesbian dates back at least to 1732 and lesbianism appears in the 1870 Oxford English Dictionary meaning sexual orientation rather than a reference to Sappho and inhabitants of Lesbos. Lesbian as an adjective is in the 1890 Oxford English Dictionary and as a noun by 1925. Until the early twentieth century lesbian was interchangeable with Sapphist.[3] da what wikipedia say o. :) candygirl wrote: interesting.... so all the folks from that town are.. Lesbians? or Lesbos well that settles it then.. i think.

you doubt the wikipedia report?? or the initial story??

i take most things in wikipedia with a grain of salt.

candygirl wrote:

you doubt the wikipedia report?? or the initial story??

Natin wrong with being a lesbian o. I'm a proud lesbian, and I just can't help it.
What can I say? I just love women.

I reckon we have a lot in common.

I am a sapphist...I phist my sa...