Post by depletedreasons on Jun 10, 2008 1:00:01 GMT -5
Lesbos residents: 'they are stealing our identity!'
By Conny Keessen*
09-06-2008
Gay Pride in AthensRight-wing extremists disrupted a Gay Pride party in the Greek capital Athens on Saturday night. They threw eggs and stones at thousands of gays and lesbians who were demonstrating for the legalisation of gay marriage. Homosexuality is still a sensitive issue in Greece - a fact that is highlighted by an extraordinary court case due to be heard in Athens on Tuesday.
Three residents of the island of Lesbos are demanding that the word 'lesbian' only be used in future to describe residents of the island. The three have filed the case against the Greek Homosexual and Lesbian Association.
Serious
Many people laugh about it, but the three Lesbos residents couldn't be more serious. They believe the word lesbian and all related words should only be used for the residents of Lesbos. Dimitris Lambrou is one of the plaintiffs and publicist of a religious-archeological journal:
"Homosexual women have stolen the name from us. Women on Lesbos suffer terribly from this. My sister can't say she is a 'Lesbia', because people begin to laugh and she has to explain she is not a lesbian, but comes from the island of Lesbos."
Mr Lambrou says the sexual meaning of term has only existed for a couple of decades, while Lesbos residents have called themselves lesbians for thousands of years. "Our identity has been taken away by certain ladies, who have nothing to do with Lesbos."
Still a taboo
Absolute nonsense, thinks Evangelia Vlami, spokesperson for the Homosexual and Lesbian Association:"The term has been used to describe lesbian women for thousands of years."
Grigoris Vallianatos, lawyer and a member of the association, believes the background to the case is more sinister. "It's is about intolerance and discrimination against homosexuals in Greece. This is a conservative society in which homosexuality is still taboo."
Mr Vallianatos believes that the Lesbos residents' case has far-reaching implications. "It is not just about Greek lesbian women, it's about hundreds of millions of women throughout the world. Should we really to take seriously, what a Greek court rules on how all these women should call themselves?"
First gay marriage
The Greek homosexual community has been attracting attention after the country's first gay marriages last week. Two homosexual men and two lesbian women were bound in matrimony on the island of Tilos. The Greek Minister of Justice has called the marriages "illegal", but up to now no steps have been taken to actually declare them null and void. Legal experts say this is because of a loophole in Greek law; in the Civil Code the gender of potential brides and grooms are not mentioned. Gay marriage is not forbidden by law.
Lesbos (photo: flickr/Sean WallisAll Greece's left-wing parties have voiced their support for the Mayor of Tilos. But the conservative government opposes gay marriage, as does the Greek Orthodox church. Although the new moderate Archbishop refuses to give his reaction.
It's a question of waiting and seeing what steps the Ministry of Justice will take. The Homosexual and Lesbian Association expects dozens of homosexual couples to follow the Tilos example by tying the knot.
* RNW translation (nc)
Lesbos and the poetess Sappho
Lesbos is the birth place of the famous lyrical poetess Sappho. In the seventh century before Christ, she wrote love poems for women. Her passionate words were sung, accompanied by a lyre.
It was uncommon in ancient Greece for women to write poetry and it was completely unheard of for a woman to write poetry for women. But no-one took offence at Sappho's poetry. She was applauded by the great philosophers of the time, such as Plato, who called her "his tenth Muse". That is how the connection between Lesbos, Sappho and homosexuality came about.
Today, Sappho is considered to be one of the great lyrical writers. And the island of Lesbos has become a pilgrimage for lesbian women.
It is a thorn in the side of Dimitris Lambrou, who holds the controversial opinion that Sappho was not lesbian at all: she was married with a child...! Although he does admit Sappho could call herself a "Lesbia". After all she was born on Lesbos.
www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/europe/080609-lesbos-court-case
By Conny Keessen*
09-06-2008
Gay Pride in AthensRight-wing extremists disrupted a Gay Pride party in the Greek capital Athens on Saturday night. They threw eggs and stones at thousands of gays and lesbians who were demonstrating for the legalisation of gay marriage. Homosexuality is still a sensitive issue in Greece - a fact that is highlighted by an extraordinary court case due to be heard in Athens on Tuesday.
Three residents of the island of Lesbos are demanding that the word 'lesbian' only be used in future to describe residents of the island. The three have filed the case against the Greek Homosexual and Lesbian Association.
Serious
Many people laugh about it, but the three Lesbos residents couldn't be more serious. They believe the word lesbian and all related words should only be used for the residents of Lesbos. Dimitris Lambrou is one of the plaintiffs and publicist of a religious-archeological journal:
"Homosexual women have stolen the name from us. Women on Lesbos suffer terribly from this. My sister can't say she is a 'Lesbia', because people begin to laugh and she has to explain she is not a lesbian, but comes from the island of Lesbos."
Mr Lambrou says the sexual meaning of term has only existed for a couple of decades, while Lesbos residents have called themselves lesbians for thousands of years. "Our identity has been taken away by certain ladies, who have nothing to do with Lesbos."
Still a taboo
Absolute nonsense, thinks Evangelia Vlami, spokesperson for the Homosexual and Lesbian Association:"The term has been used to describe lesbian women for thousands of years."
Grigoris Vallianatos, lawyer and a member of the association, believes the background to the case is more sinister. "It's is about intolerance and discrimination against homosexuals in Greece. This is a conservative society in which homosexuality is still taboo."
Mr Vallianatos believes that the Lesbos residents' case has far-reaching implications. "It is not just about Greek lesbian women, it's about hundreds of millions of women throughout the world. Should we really to take seriously, what a Greek court rules on how all these women should call themselves?"
First gay marriage
The Greek homosexual community has been attracting attention after the country's first gay marriages last week. Two homosexual men and two lesbian women were bound in matrimony on the island of Tilos. The Greek Minister of Justice has called the marriages "illegal", but up to now no steps have been taken to actually declare them null and void. Legal experts say this is because of a loophole in Greek law; in the Civil Code the gender of potential brides and grooms are not mentioned. Gay marriage is not forbidden by law.
Lesbos (photo: flickr/Sean WallisAll Greece's left-wing parties have voiced their support for the Mayor of Tilos. But the conservative government opposes gay marriage, as does the Greek Orthodox church. Although the new moderate Archbishop refuses to give his reaction.
It's a question of waiting and seeing what steps the Ministry of Justice will take. The Homosexual and Lesbian Association expects dozens of homosexual couples to follow the Tilos example by tying the knot.
* RNW translation (nc)
Lesbos and the poetess Sappho
Lesbos is the birth place of the famous lyrical poetess Sappho. In the seventh century before Christ, she wrote love poems for women. Her passionate words were sung, accompanied by a lyre.
It was uncommon in ancient Greece for women to write poetry and it was completely unheard of for a woman to write poetry for women. But no-one took offence at Sappho's poetry. She was applauded by the great philosophers of the time, such as Plato, who called her "his tenth Muse". That is how the connection between Lesbos, Sappho and homosexuality came about.
Today, Sappho is considered to be one of the great lyrical writers. And the island of Lesbos has become a pilgrimage for lesbian women.
It is a thorn in the side of Dimitris Lambrou, who holds the controversial opinion that Sappho was not lesbian at all: she was married with a child...! Although he does admit Sappho could call herself a "Lesbia". After all she was born on Lesbos.
www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/europe/080609-lesbos-court-case