Posted by
Scatbug on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 10:45:48 AM
In Greece, the courts strike a blow for tolerance and understanding:
Greek court rules lesbians are not just from Lesbos
ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek court has dismissed a request by residents of the Aegean island of Lesbos to ban the use of the word lesbian to describe gay women, according to a court ruling made public on Tuesday.
Three residents of Lesbos, the birthplace of the ancient Greek poetess Sappho whose love poems inspired the term lesbian, brought a case last month arguing the use of the term in reference to gay women insulted their identity.
In a July 18 decision, the Athens court said the word did not define the identity of the residents of the island, and so it could be validly used by gay groups in Greece and abroad.
Meanwhile in the United States, a US District Court in Dallas tackles a much more complicated issue. Before the court is a case in which the plaintiffs seek to invalidate the age-old axiom, "The only things from Texas are steers and..."*
*I was born in Lubbock, so I have full rights of citizenship to make that joke. Besides, the lawsuit is obviously frivolous since sheep are also raised there.**
**See first sentence of previous note.***
***And of course none of this is to suggest that I'm...uh...not that there's anything wrong with that, but...um...never mind.