Contemporary Lesbos
One meaning of the word
lesbian derives from the poems of
Sappho, who was born in Lesbos and who wrote with powerful emotional content directed toward other women. It is due to this association that Lesbos and especially the town of
Eresos, her birthplace, are visited frequently by
lesbian tourists,
[4] much to the chagrin of the deeply conservative and traditionalist
Greek Orthodox population of the island.
[5] In
2008, the Lesbian islanders lost a court case against the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece. The Lesbian islanders had requested a legal injunction to bar homosexual groups from using the word "lesbian" in their names, which the Lesbian islander petitioners claim violates their human rights as it is "insulting" and disgraces them around the world.
[6][7]
