Gays sued by an entire island

[Harbringerxv8]

Lesbos islanders dispute gay name
By Malcolm Brabant
BBC News, Athens

Gay pride parade Brazil 2007
The term lesbian is now widely used to describe homosexual women

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.
map of Lesbos

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.

Link

This has to set some kind of precedent. I'm not going to lie, I really hate people sometimes.

[Valentin the II]

What are you? Russian? German? Greek?
Im lesbian.

[The Super Pope]

I demand that Greece be renamed Gayistan. it's national anthem can be

[finneys13]

The Greeks invented gayness though

[Tony83]

Well I guess that this should keep a few lawyers in Armani suits and expensive dinners for a little while.

[LSJ]

The word has been in use for so long that there is no way they can change it.
For me and pretty much everyone else, lesbian will always mean a homosexual female.

Until a political party call themselves the Lesbians and take over a large country, committing acts of mass genocide. At that point, most of us would re associate its meaning like we do with the swastika.

So if they are really serious about changing the term, there is a way to change it.....


>_>

[Captain Arrrgh!]

The Greeks invented gayness though

I thought it was the chicoms.

[Tiberius Nero]

Invented gayness? Anyone knows who invented eating or breathing?

Anyway, the word "lesvia" is used to mean a homosexual woman in modern Greek as well (although etymologically it means "woman from Lesbos"), this lawsuit is somewhat silly, but meh.

[Captain Arrrgh!]

*ALERT!!*
Two hot lesbos in the banner add above.
Vote we have a lesbian thread once a week to look at the banner add.

[Exarch]

pay the Lesbians
given the fairly large number of rich ah homosexuals, that should be ok
LOL

[Senno]

Just when you think you saw it all, a new height is reached in lawsuit frivolousness.

Toss it out.

[Tajir]

Can't they just refer to themselves as Lesboans? :hmmm:

[Exarch]

Can't they just refer to themselves as Lesboans? :hmmm:

in all fairness the lesbians (island) were there first.
which leaves us with having to name female gays something else.
you can pick either muff-diver, or bull-dyke
(jk)

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Meh, their loss that they're ashamed of the name now. I have a girl's name and you don't see me complaining, people never forget the name. This should be a great chance for them to say Lesbos is awesome and it was around before the word took the modern meaning.

What do the lesbians from Lesbos think though?

Also the innuendo level in this thread is epic.

[Hunter Makoy]

i'd say they definately have a reason to feel the way they do.

Except:

i dont see any way to make a case of it esp. considering how long the term has been used by both parties.

and, no offense, but how often r u gonna run into someone from Lesbos anyway? just doesn't seem like something that is a gernal problem.

btw that Tom Robinson guy is guy isn't he?

[Exarch]

LOL
the ad above me says, gay chubby dating
d'ye think they're from Lesbos?
at topic: let them have what they want

[Erich von Manstein]

Next up: the Flintstones sue homosexual men worldwide for hijacking the word "gay."

[Tajir]

How long before The Onion creates a spin-off article?

[The Good]

Good for those Greek Lesbians (the islanders). Claim back the word Lesbian to describe a Greek from the island of Lesbos! The use of the word Lesbian to describe homosexual females is an abomination.

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

Good for those Greek Lesbians (the islanders). Claim back the word Lesbian to describe a Greek from the island of Lesbos! The use of the word Lesbian to describe homosexual females is an abomination.

Until you see two hot chicks going at it, then it's awesome.
As for the lawsuit, well it's stupid.
Female homosexuals is called lesbians and will be lesbians even if they win the lawsuit.
The island inhabitants will have to accept that they are lesboans.