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People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term 'Lesbian'

ATHENS, Greece - A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.

Three islanders from Lesbos — home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women — have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.

The three plaintiffs are seeking to have the group barred from using "lesbian" in its name and filed a lawsuit on April 10. The other two plaintiffs are women.

Also called Mytilene, after its capital, Lesbos is famed as the birthplace of Sappho. The island is a favored holiday destination for gay women, particularly the lyric poet's reputed home town of Eressos.

"This is not an aggressive act against gay women," Lambrou said. "Let them visit Lesbos and get married and whatever they like. We just want (the group) to remove the word lesbian from their title."

He said the plaintiffs targeted the group because it is the only officially registered gay group in Greece to use the word lesbian in its name. The case will be heard in an Athens court on June 10.

Sappho lived from the late 7th to the early 6th century B.C. and is considered one of the greatest poets of antiquity. Many of her poems, written in the first person and intended to be accompanied by music, contain passionate references to love for other women.

Lambrou said the word lesbian has only been linked with gay women in the past few decades. "But we have been Lesbians for thousands of years," said Lambrou, who publishes a small magazine on ancient Greek religion and technology that frequently criticizes the Christian Church.

Very little is known of Sappho's life. According to some ancient accounts, she was an aristocrat who married a rich merchant and had a daughter with him. One tradition says that she killed herself by jumping off a cliff over an unhappy love affair.

Lambrou says Sappho was not gay. "But even if we assume she was, how can 250,000 people of Lesbian descent — including women — be considered homosexual?"

The Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece could not be reached for comment.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080430...pnNb
bBAF

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Originally posted by Devil King
In fact, I'm thinking of filing suit against Queensland Australia, myself.

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Originally posted by WrathfulDwarf
I want the word gay to stay happy.

Give it back!

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Originally posted by lord xyz
I've actually read the topic now, so now I have an opinion.

"Lesbain" should mean "from Lesbos" not "woman who is sexually turned on by other women", I don't mind the term being used in porn or informal, but since Lesbian is an actual term for those from Lesbos, it shouldn't be used to refer to gay women.

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Originally posted by Zeal Ex Nihilo
F@g nation.

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Originally posted by Devil King
You know how much people care? The author of the piece had to explain why they're called lesbians and why lesbians are called lesbians by straight people.

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Originally posted by Devil King
You know how much people care? The author of the piece had to explain why they're called lesbians and why lesbians are called lesbians by straight people. In fact, considering how most men drool over lesbians, I think it's unfair that these people automatically get instant cool points simply because they're from the island that made woman on woman action the sexually irresponsible daydream/fantasty of every heterosexual male in the western hemisphere. If anything, we should all be suing them. In fact, I'm thinking of filing suit against Queensland Australia, myself.