Weird Lesbos islanders dispute gay name

[The Helper]

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?

BBC NEWS | Europe | Lesbos islanders dispute gay name

news.bbc.co.uk

 

[Skitz_24]

Why not just change the name of the island or w/e?

Geeze people are such easy to anger beings...sad really

 

[EatShrooms]

Whenever you fight against words, it only makes them stronger.

N-word anybody?

 

[Asehujiko]

Simple. Lesbosians. What do i win?

 

[EatShrooms]

A shotgun blast to whichever portion of your body you'd prefer.

 

[Turnip]

Why not just change the name of the island or w/e?

Geeze people are such easy to anger beings...sad really

Maybe because they had the name first? What if terrorists suddenly had their name changed to whatever country or region your from? Would you want to be associated with them when you aren't one?

(I do not have anything against gays, just using an example from their point of view.)

 

[sqrage]

N-word anybody?

You're saying it's more offensive now than it used to be?

I strongly disagree.

 

[duyen]

You're saying it's more offensive now than it used to be?

I strongly disagree.

Anman disagrees too.

Yes the n-word use to be such a hateful word, but now even African Americans (at least in the U.S.) use it in practically every sentence >.>

 

[Pineapple]

I remember a artical I read where someone was playing some word game and couldn't guess the word. When the time ran up the answer was Lesbos and they assumed it ment lesbians and go all up and pissy over it.

most people don't even know the place exists. They won't change the word - it has its meaning and tat will never change.

If from now on 'Burned' started to mean getting frozen feet, people wont jump on that band wagon.

 

[EatShrooms]

I thought it was more offensive nowadays than 50 years ago. The NAACP tried "burying" the word partly cause of it's use in hip hop culture and trying to put it in the past.

 

[ayumilove]

hi guys, what does it mean by n-word?

 

[EatShrooms]

The abominable word nigger, god forbid anyone say it other than a black man. Or type it.

 

[Bartuc08]

when people say nigger every other sentence it bothers me, im not black(far from it) but hell have some respect, and quit using such an ignorant word...

as for the article, i loled...

 

[EatShrooms]

when people say nigger every other sentence it bothers me, im not black(far from it) but hell have some respect, and quit using such an ignorant word...

as for the article, i loled...

And to clarify this quote, he meant the word itself is ignorant, not any specific person or group of people.

 

[Bartuc08]

And to clarify this quote, he meant the word itself is ignorant, not any specific person or group of people.

but in return using it like that makes you look ignorant

 

[eellem1]

Good luck with that in court Lesbos!!

 

[BlargIAmDead]

Here's the thing: "lesbian" has been used as the word for "homosexual female", in both the English and Greek speaking worlds, for over a hundred years: www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lesbian . It seems strange that the citizens of Lesbos are only up in arms now. Furthermore,

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.

So there is no real confusion here. The artists-formerly-known-as-Lesbians are now Mytilines, or Mytilinites, or whatever the Greek is for "people from Mytilini".

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.

I don't see any human rights violations here. Nobody's being deprived of food, or jury trials, or voting rights, or freedom of worship. And as for "disgrace", well...that sounds like a personal problem, Mr. Lambrou.