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January 09, 2008

Dykes on Bikes to Keep Name

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition from attorney Michael McDermott, who challenged the name of lesbian motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes, saying it was "scandalous and immoral," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The challenge came as a result of a decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granting the lesbian group exclusive rights to the name, which it has used for over 30 years.

McDermott, who self-identifies as a men's rights advocate, said in his appeal that the term describes "hyper-militant radicals hateful toward men."

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office initially rejected the group's application, but with a slew of once-derogatory terms now finding acceptance in the mainstream --  Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, for example -- the office reevaluated the application. (The Advocate)

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