Lesbos Sue Lesbians Over Name
Lesbos Sue Lesbians Over Name
#1Lesbos Sue Lesbians Over Name
Posted: 4/30/08 at 1:43pm
What would Sappho say?
===
People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term 'Lesbian'
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS – 3 hours ago
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — 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.
People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term 'Lesbian'
Bluemoon
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/28/04
#2re: Lesbos Sue Lesbians Over Name
Posted: 4/30/08 at 1:45pmWouldn't it be more accurate if the islanders called themselves 'Lesbosians'?
#2re: Lesbos Sue Lesbians Over Name
Posted: 4/30/08 at 1:50pmIf they're trying to avoid association, perhaps Lesbonites would be better.
#3lesbos vow to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 1:53pmif they have always been known as lesbians, why should they change? i mean it's going to get tossed out like a salad anyway.
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
#5lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 1:55pmwomen in comfortable shoes
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
#7lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 1:59pmstick a fork in this thread.
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
#8lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:01pmI think we need to hear from GreekMusicalFan--and Rath!
#9lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:05pmNow's our chance. Lesbians can change their name to something that starts with a vowel so we can have a more catchy acronym than GLBT.
wexy
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/19/05
#10lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:08pmMorebians
#11lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:10pmobamians
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
#12lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:14pmYes! Then we can be GOBT. Pronounced like Go-Bots, aka, the poor man's transformer.
wexy
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/19/05
#13lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:15pmSapphotic not to be confused with Sephardic
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#14lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:15pmjust change the name to Cooter Crunch Island.
#15lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:16pmthat's exactly what i was going for cal.
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
#16lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:31pmThe Labians?
#17lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:40pmThe Carpet Baggers
#18lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:44pmIsn't this uproar about 3000 years late???
#19lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:46pmno, according to the article there is only one gay wonmen's group in greece that officially designates itself using the word lesbian. it hasn't been around for 3,000 years.
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
#20lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:52pm
I always wondered if there are lesbian pedophiles. I mean, there must be, but you never hear about them.
Is there a NAWGLA?
#21lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 2:58pmthere's a whole series of movies dedicated to a similar theme, mr matt. they might be titled mature women with young girls...or something like that.
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
#22lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 3:21pmPorn leaves no stone unturned, does it?
xoangel2789xo
Broadway Star Joined: 11/3/07
#23lesbos vows to lick the lesbians in court
Posted: 4/30/08 at 11:46pm
I was actually wondering a while ago how Lesbians from Lesbos who aren't lesbians deal with that.
Videos