Sapphic sightseers, delight: A judge has dismissed the lawsuit brought against a Greek national LGBT group regarding the use of the word "lesbian," which was decided by the court to not refer generally to the residents of the island of Lesbos. The plaintiffs even faced a mutiny among islanders, some of whom credited the legend of Sappho with boosting tourism to the island.

Coming on the heels of the tempest in a teapot that was the proposed "South Carolina Is So Gay" ads, European tourists at whom the US ads were aimed should go to Greece instead. If you're not sold, see "Mamma Mia!"--a good time for gay and straight alike.

Related Stories:
· Frivolous Lawsuit Travel: Greek Island Not Pro-Gay Rights [Jaunted]
· Court Rules Lesbians Are Not Just from Lesbos [Reuters]
· A new Tourism Ad Creates an Uproar [Newsweek]
· Movie Set Travel: "Mamma Mia!" [Jaunted]
· LGBT coverage [Jaunted]

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If a woman says, "I'm a lesbian," most people would assume she's making a statement about her sexual orientation, not declaring she is a resident of the Greek island of Lesbos. That's something a few Lesbians (capital L, denoting geography after this mention) would like to change, as three Greeks are taking the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece (OLKE) to court to demand the removal of the word "lesbian" from the group's name.

The term derives from the island's most famous inhabitant, the ancient Greek love poet Sappho whose poems described infatuation with women. Plaintiff--and Lesbian--Dimitris Lambrou told a judge:

Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos...[This lawsuit] is not an aggressive act against gay women.

Since Sappho lived some 2,600 years ago, one wonders why this has become an issue now. The word "lesbian" with the definition related to sexual orientation, not geographical locale, was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1890.

Related Stories:
· People of Lesbos Take Gay Group to Court [AP, via Yahoo]
· Gay Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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