Lesbos islanders sue lesbian group

A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between gay women and the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos.

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.

On Wednesday, one of the plaintiffs said that the name of the association, the 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," Dimitris Lambrou said.

"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.

A spokeswoman for the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece said the action was "a joke in bad taste that borders on discrimination".
"I don't see how the word can be an insult," Evangelia Vlami said.

"We don't think doubt can be cast on dictionaries ... even the United Nations refer to us as lesbians."