A group from the Greek island of Lesbos, said to be the birthplace of the female Greek poet Sappho and also a huge holiday draw for girls who love girls, is taking the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece to court to stop them from using the word “Lesbian” in their name, saying that it usurps the identity of the island:
“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.”
Said Dimitris Lambrou, one of the plaintiffs: “My sister can’t say she is a Lesbian. Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos. This is not an aggressive act against gay women. Let them visit Lesbos and get married and whatever they like. We just want (the group) to remove the word lesbian from their title…We have been Lesbians for thousands of years.”
Now there’s a Sisyphean pursuit if I’ve ever heard of one.
