A Greek court on
Tuesday ruled that a gay rights group can use the word
lesbian in its name, stating that the people
from the island of Lesbos do not have sole claim to the
word, reports Reuters.
A group from the
Aegean island filed a lawsuit against the Homosexual and
Lesbian Community of Greece in June, claiming its name was
an affront to the residents of Lesbos, who refer to
themselves as Lesbians. A Greek court ruled against
the islanders.
"This is a good
decision for lesbians everywhere," Vassilis Chirdaris,
lawyer for the Gay and Lesbian Union of Greece, told
Reuters. "A court in Athens could not stop people
around the world from using it. It was ridiculous."
The island of
Lesbos is also called Mytilene, after its capital, and is a
popular holiday destination for gay women, especially the
village of Eressos, which is regarded as the
birthplace of the seventh century B.C. poet Sappho.
(The Advocate)