Saturday, December 10, 2005

Dyke is Politically Correct

This is a celebration of individual freedom, not of homosexuality. No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don’t love anybody.
Rita Mae Brown, writer

It’s official dyke is now a politically correct term.


I suppose this has come through continual use. A women’s Motorcycle Contingent that wanted to trademark the phase Dykes on Bikes had been originally denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office because they felt dyke was a disparaging word for lesbians. However, a clothing manufacturer attempted to use the phase or something similar, which prompted the motorcycle group to seek a patent, which was eventually granted.


According to a Reuters article, The National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Brooke Oliver Law Group said the word "dyke" is no longer viewed as derogatory.

"Within the lesbian community that term has been reclaimed as a very positive term that denotes strength and pride and empowerment," said Shannon Minter, a lawyer for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

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