Lesbos islanders lose court case over use of "lesbian"
A court in Athens today rejected a law suit from some residents of the island of Lesbos that attempted to stop homosexual women from using the word 'lesbian' to define themselves.Three islanders took gay rights group OLKE, the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, to court to get a ban on anyone except islanders and their descendants using the term lesbian.
The court ruled that they do not have sole claim to the word.
The Greek island, home to the 6th Century BC poet Sappho, who wrote about female same-sex love, lends its name to the term 'lesbian.'
"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," islander and plaintiff Dimitris Lambrou told AP at the start of the case last month."Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos."
Andrea Gilbert, spokesperson for Athens Pride 2008 and a member of OLKE, has drawn attention to the amount of money from tourism that lesbians bring to the island when visiting Eressos, the birthplace of Sappho.
She told PinkNews.co.uk:"The claim is based in serious prejudice and hatred, a ridiculous claim that most Greeks find laughable."However, the underlying homophobia and reactionary sentiment is no laughing matter."
Mr Lambrou said they will take their case to the European courts.
"The word lesbian has been associated with gay women for the past few decades but we have been Lesbians for thousands of years," he said.
Czech minister calls for debate about gay adoption
The Czech minister for human rights and ethnic minorities has called for a debate on whether the gay partner of a parent should be allowed to adopt his or her child.
The Czech Repbulic was recently criticised for having too many children in state care. 20,000 children currently reside in institutions within the country.
Tereza Kodickova, spokeswoman for a Czech LGBT equality group the Gay and Lesbian League welcomed the news:
"The community, I think, is potentially interested because there are quite a few lesbian couples who haven't yet registered because their main motivation to enter into a registered partnership is to raise children," Tereza said.
"On the other hand, we, as the Gay and Lesbian League, are waiting to hear from the community what their priorities are as to the changes in the current registered partnership legislation."
A RCA poll showed 42% of the country were against gay adoption, while 39% supported it.
The Commission Against Discrimination has made its decision on
Regarding the pending law for change and supplement of the Family Code that was filed by the Council of Ministers and will be voted by the Parliament, a complaint based on multiple discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation” and “civil partnerships” was filed by the Bulgarian Gay Organization Gemini to the Commission Against Discrimination.
The Commission Against Discrimination recommends that the Council of Ministers prepare and file a change in art. 13, para. 1 of the Family Code, and to include in the Code the relationships between same sex couples. By this change these couples will have legal rights to unite in civil partnerships.
If this change is approved same sex couples will have the same rights as heterosexual couples for example on succession and health issues. According to the Chairperson of the Commission Against Discrimination- for adoption and raising children by same sex couples there must be a social discussion. Although, it is expected that such a change will provoke strong negative reactions from the nationalistic, homophobic and religious fundamentalist organizations and groups.
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