Greek Islands of Lesbos court battle

Campaigners on the Greek island of Lesbos have gone to court to stop a Greek gay rights group from using the term ‘lesbian’. Island activists are seeking an injunction against the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece (OLKE) to force the group to remove the word ‘lesbian’ from its name. Their lawyers are arguing that only people of Lesbos have the right to call themselves Lesbians. Campaigners say residents are too embarrassed to call themselves Lesbian because of the word’s sexual connotations. But lawyers for OLKE say the term has been used to denote gay women for centuries. An Athens court will make a final ruling next month.

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