PC comes full circle

Those who live in the San Francisco Bay Area are very familiar with "Dykes on Bikes" -- or at least with their annual public appearance at the Gay Pride Parade, when thousands of Lesbians on motorcycles, many topless or fully nude, lead the parade. The group has apparently been attempting to get a federal trademark on the name, but without success. Reflecting full PC sensitivities, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has twice

rejected the Dykes' application, on the grounds that "dyke" is vulgar, offensive and "scandalous." Patent office attorneys even point to Webster's dictionary, which says dyke is "often used disparagingly." "The examining attorney found it to be offensive to a significant portion of the lesbian community," said Jessie Roberts, a trademark administrator with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. "And we're also looking out for the sensitivities of the general public more than that of a specific applicant."

The government once trained -- as it was here by the PC brigade -- shows a remarkable lack of flexibility, which turns out, in this instance, to be inconveniencing women who are, I'm sure, members of that same PC brigade!