The Greek island of Lesbos lies in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It was the birthplace of the poetess Sappho (620-570 BC) whose surviving verse fragments speak (as was often the case in antiquity) of romantic love for men AND women. Once the Victorians had got hold of her, however, there was no hope of such subtle distinctions, and the adjectives 'lesbian' and 'sapphic' became synonymous with physical love between women.
Now, the inhabitants of Lesbos, also 'Lesbians', have had enough of schoolboy sniggers the world over, and last week brought a court action to reclaim their good name. The Athens court which heard the case, however, has ruled against the islanders, insisting that the word 'lesbian' does not define the islanders' identity. Vassilis Chirdaris, lawyer for the Gay and Lesbian Union of Greece, announced, "This is a good decision for lesbians everywhere." The plaintiff, publisher Dimitris Lambrou, meanwhile, claims that the modern sexual connotations of the word violate the human rights of the islanders and causes daily problems to their social lives.
"More tzatziki?"
"No thanks, I'm a Lesbian."
Can any readers think of similar examples of adjectives of provenance which have taken on new meanings? Can we expect similar court actions from cap-wearers in Holland or letter-writers in France? I will endeavour, meanwhile, to explain this story to my aged mother, who still insists on describing bright colours as 'gay'.
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