Dykes on bikes. Dykes wearing spikes. Dykes with tykes — Toronto Star, June 30, 2013
It is, of course, none of any straight person’s business. But we must believe that well-meaning individuals of same sex preference will recognize that the celebration of the word Dyke makes many people quite uneasy. “It’s as if the NAACP decided to insert the N-word into its title,” one woman has said. “I just wish they didn’t have to use it.” Sure, it’s only a word. And words can mean anything. Language changes. Especially English. For nearly a century however the word Dyke has been the most loathsome epithet that can be thrown at a woman of same sex preference. It is little wonder that attempts at its rehabilitation have left conscientious and well-meaning persons feeling as if they are acclimatizing to space. The most potent thrust toward the adoption of the word Dyke came from the motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes when it tried to apply for a trademark on the name. The U.S. Trademark Office denied the application on the grounds that Dyke was an offensive word. In 2005, according to a Wikipedia posting, a prolonged court battle involving testimony on the word’s changing role in the Lesbian community, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board permitted the group to register its name. The word continues to be used as a slur, notwithstanding its elevation to polite usage by some. It seems likely that Dyke will lead a double life for some time, used with both meanings by members of the community to which it refers and by society in general. In the meantime, many will find it hard to think of Toronto’s numerous dignified and accomplished same-sex women as Dykes.
