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[–]SailorMoon2020 4 insightful - 7 fun4 insightful - 6 fun5 insightful - 7 fun -  (12 children)

In a historical context, the word 'lesbian' never meant exclusivity; it was always defined as preference.

It's a word stolen from the territorial Greek island, Lesbos; maybe we should, I don't know, give it back to them.

All of these words were created in the early 20th century. The fact so many are pulling out your hair for a word that was stolen, flipped around, and invented in the 1900s, less than 150 years old, is ridiculous. The word 'horny' as been around longer in the English language. Queer has a longer history.

Words change over time. Once it was sodomite, queer, then lesbian, homosexual...past is prelude. Fighting time is a worthless battle.

Why fight for a word never ours to begin with? Like those white people in South Africa crying about losing property never theirs to begin with.

Edit: Homoanatomical is a good word.

[–]Wot[S] 3 insightful - 7 fun3 insightful - 6 fun4 insightful - 7 fun -  (0 children)

Exactly, it's not even our word. So, isn't it being co-opted from us just karma (I don't believe in karma but still)? But seriously, language is just a tool that never stops evolving. We use it to understand each other but right now it's working to our extreme detriment. It's us, the definition, that matters and that, imo, is already gone. Plus, lesbians across the globe have said how they've hated using the word because in their language is sounds fucked up. Like, part of that maybe because of homophobia (hets using it as a slur), but I've also heard that the way it sounds is just not pleasant in and of itself so they'll call themselves gay. Homoanatomical is kinda badass. Sounds like we're nothing to fuck with and can finally celebrate vagina again.

[–]33799 3 insightful - 4 fun3 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 4 fun -  (9 children)

I don't really agree with everything you said, but I definitely agree on the second point and I'm surprised more people don't? I'm not Greek, I've never even been there. How is it my word rather than theirs, just because some woman a really long time ago also happened to be attracted to women? It's hard to tell how I would feel about "lesbian" without the porn association and the current misuse, but really I wouldn't want to call myself Shibdenian or Llangollen either.

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