ABSTRACT
The present use of the word ‘lesbian’ is first attested in the English language in 1890. 1 The noun ‘lesbianism’, in relation to the homosexuality of women, is slightly older. It dates from 1870. 2 It is written with a capital letter, thus revealing the connection which was felt with the island of Lesbos, where the poet Sappho wrote her songs around 600 BC. Is the connection between the isle of Lesbos and the homosexuality of women justified? Are there reasons to believe that Sappho of Lesbos was a ‘lesbian’?
