People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term 'Lesbian'
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS
Associated Press Writer

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.