[Mmtheblue]

Don't think this was posted before, but I found it on another forum and thinks it warrants discussion.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7376919.stm

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.

So yeah... Lesbians.

Discuss!

[.Sotek.]

Lesbos. What a great island.

[Siyual]

Haha, wow. Wonder if they have a flag =o must google!

[Fauchevont]

You'd think that with all the socio-political turmoil in the world, these people would think of something more important to argue over. How petty.

[Sephi]

THEY'RE ILLUSIONS, MICHAEL.


On-topic, this is ridiculous.

[lorzy]

wait, how many nations use the term "lesbian"?

and like... i don't know how they're going to settle the matter. sue people for using a word that's been in use for a long time? sue lesbians, because they happen to be called the same thing as them? i didn't bother reading, but i can't think of a way for it to make sense.

[Barachiel]

The word Lesbian has essentially been used to describe a citizen of the Isle of Lesbos for as long as it has had that name, in Greek or in English. The current meaning of Lesbian is a perversion of that word, and in essence openly makes fun of the people of that Island. The Lesbians of history in ancient Greece were in fact sexually open, and more inclined to provide "favors" for men at dinner parties rather than interact with other females. It would be the same as if American suddenly became a word to describe a profiteering warmonger, or French would be used to describe someone who cannot win battles.

Serious now.

It's not really petty. The Greek Islands are pretty much out of harms way. No radical Islamic faction is going to target Greece. The Turks act as a buffer between them and the turmoil in the ME, and on the whole, the Turks are pretty cool guys these days. If you've ever been to the Greek isles, it is paradise. There really is no other way to describe it. Isolated from almost all outside forces. Mainland Greece is even vastly different from the Greek isles.

[lorzy]

i understand that they're upset, but i mean i can't think of a practical way to go about it.

i don't know about the french, but some people probably already use the american reference.

[Varizen]

The easy solution: Call your people Lesbites or lesbosians. Everyone wins. Kinda.

[Kenja]

I guess nothing in today's world is trivial enough not to fight over. Yes they may find it demeaning but given the rather free spirited European view on sexuality, it seems a little extreme that these Islanders believe that they're going to lawfully get everyone to stop using the term lesbian. I kind of wonder how lesbians feel about possibly not being able to call themselves by that name? Or excatly how do these Islanders believe they're going to erradicate a definition for a word? Lesbians are already proud of their sexuality, good luck in getting them to change a term they identify with.

Another thing I don't understand is lesbian does not carry a negative connotation to it. Of course it does to the people who see homosexuality in a negative light but the word itself does not carry the same weight as calling negros n*ggers. I would understand it in this case since that word carries decades of racial injustice with it as well as being used to degrade an entire race of people. Lesbian is used to define a sexuality not to degrade it. I really thought Europeans would be beyond such petty things. Considering many areas such as Greece, had an early history of older men sleeping with young boys, which was deemed completely natural, it seems a little odd that this much attention would be focused on a word with a sexual underlining.

Oddly enough, so far I haven't heard of any lighthearted and cheerful people suing the gay community.

[.Sotek.]

Varizen :
The easy solution: Call your people Lesbites or lesbosians. Everyone wins. Kinda.

They could be hip and "down with it" by calling themselves Lezbians.

Or they can get over themselves.

Seriously, I fail to see how an island that calls themselves Lesbians could possibly have any problems in their daily social life.
Are tourists laughing at them or something? Like that doesn't happen everywhere in the world.
Or maybe they're completely retarded and think stating your nationality when someone is asking you out is normal.

It's either they're all complete idiots or only a small population of the island that even gives a fuck. I'm guessing the later.

[lorzy]

i guess it's like the people who call JP "japs" in-game... they don't mean anything by it, but it still kinda makes people cringe. then they have to be idiots about it and get really pissed off when the JP are offended by it, and insist that no, it was NEVER used as a derogatory term. not that we're doing all that idiot stuff, but i can see why they're upset. however... there are better ways to go about fixing it.

[Dazd]

Probably doing it to attract more tourism to the island. I'd be willing to bet the 75% or so of the people in the states who don't even know who the first or current Presidents are don't know an island named Lesbos even exists.

[Tsumakirij]

Dazd :
Probably doing it to attract more tourism to the island. I'd be willing to bet the 75% or so of the people in the states who don't even know who the first or current Presidents are don't know an island named Lesbos even exists.

And another 10% just googled "Lesbos Island" and are now disapointed at the lack of porn.