Dictionary powers a-go-go!

This is one of those things that really comes at you out of nowhere. The island of Lesbos (no, sadly, that's not as fabulous as it sounds) is suing a gay rights group over the use of the word "lesbian" in its name.

The three plaintiffs are trying to bar the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece from using the word "lesbian" in its name.

Of course, we're all familiar with the term lesbian. But how many of us knew that it is not only a term for women who prefer the company of other women, but also a term for a native of the island of Lesbos (again, not as fabulous as it sounds)? Not many, I'll bet.

That seems to be the issue in the case at hand.

"'My sister can't say she is a Lesbian,' said Dimitris Lambrou. 'Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatosever with Lesbos,' he said."

He goes on to say that the word lesbian has only been linked with gay women "in the past few decades," but the 1870 Oxford English dictionary would seem to contradict him on this point. The word as it appears in that book is used to refer to sexual orientation. So, let's see... it's 2008, and that dictionary was published in 1870, so that makes... 138 years? I suppose thirteen decades qualifies as "a few."

He goes on to say that Sappho wasn't gay. Right. Of course. Because those poems that talk about praying to Aphrodite to sway the affections of a (definitely female) beauty and such are totally the work of a heterosexual woman.
Just look below, how could this have been written by anyone other than a straight poet?

Shimmering-throned immortal Aphrodite,
Daughter of Zeus, Enchantress, I implore thee,
Spare me, O queen, this agony and anguish,
Crush not my spirit.

Whenever before thou has hearkened to me—
To my voice calling to thee in the distance,
And heeding, thou hast come, leaving thy father's
Golden dominions,

With chariot yoked to thy fleet-winged coursers,
Fluttering swift pinions over earth's darkness,
And bringing thee through the infinite, gliding
Downwards from heaven,

Then, soon they arrived and thou, blessed goddess,
With divine contenance smiling, didst ask me
What new woe had befallen me now and why,
Thus I had called thee.

What in my mad heart was my greatest desire,
Who was it now that must feel my allurements,
Who was the fair one that must be persuaded,
Who wronged thee Sappho?

For if now she flees, quickly she shall follow
And if she spurns gifts, soon shall she offer them
Yea, if she knows not love, soon shall she feel it
Even reluctant.

Come then, I pray, grant me surcease from sorrow,
Drive away care, I beseech thee, O goddess
Fulfil for me what I yearn to accomplish,
Be thou my ally.

(Just a hint. Those "she"s aren't referring to Sappho or Aphrodite.)

"No, YOU shut up! Nyeh!"

There must be a dangerously low amount of oxygen west of the Mississippi River. It's the only explanation for this bullshit.

"My advice to the gay community is SHUT UP, just don't talk about it. If you walk around talking about what you do in the bedroom, you should be on the pervert channel."

Not only does the use of the phrase "pervert channel" make Senator Gary George sound like a squealing brat just learning to use insults, but the whole idea of it is just bad. I think that if George's experience with gay people extended beyond watching gay porn alone in his room at night while sobbing quietly, he would realize that you seldom see gay people "walk[ing] around" talking about their various sexcapades.

Besides that, do straight people get this same criticism? When a straight person talks about the date he or she had over the weekend, does anyone complain? When a straight person talks about his or her upcoming wedding, does anyone offer him or her anything but congratulations? When a straight person shows you a picture of his or her kids, do you promptly scream "SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU DO IN THE BEDROOM!"? I didn't think so.

As if George implying that gay people belong out of the public eye and that they're all perverts wasn't bad enough, he also made some thinly-veiled threats of violence against homosexuals:

"Just Out: What is your reaction to the recent murders of out gay youth in Florida and California?
George: Obviously murder is murder, there's no excuse for that. Here's what I'm saying, I think we're seeing a backlash, in other words if you push me too hard don't be surprised if I react. Gays will tend to react violently if people are oppressive toward them. If gays are oppressive toward straights, then you'll see a violent backlash. You're going to have a point where these groups develop and say I'm tired of these special privileges.
Just Out: Are you suggesting that gays, by virtue of being out and open, are inciting these types of violent reactions?
George: You have to recognize for every action there's a reaction..."

That's right, folks, GAYS are OPPRESSIVE towards STRAIGHTS! Oh no! Forces forbid that GAYS demand EQUAL RIGHTS SPECIAL PRIVILEGES for themselves! Whatever shall the straight people do?

Love the subtle victim blame you've got going on there, Gary. Really.

Honestly, I just can't understand why this dear, sweet man is being named Hypocrite of the Week and stupid by SOME.

That was sarcasm, by the way.

Gary George, Sally Kern, Joseph Devine... who's for bumping them out of their positions of power, hm?