Originally posted by leslie
Kfmar- you may want to note in your essay that the word "Lesbo" is actually not a bad/swear word! If you do a search, you will get the full greek history on the Isle of Lesbos. There is nothing insulting about it! So when people throw that word out there, it's really harmless (at least in my opinion, they don't know what they are talking about). You may want to put a little poem or quote in the beginning of your essay to introduce the topic. (Or a quote by Sappho). That will grab the readers attention- it's a writer's technique! Good luck!
Not to get off topic, but I felt I had to comment here. Many words when taken by themselves aren't bad/swear words. It's the context in which they are used that makes them bad.

For instance the word bitch.....used for many many years to describe a female dog.... then was used as a derogotory term to describe a female human.

Or take cracker. Nothing wrong with cracker. Unless it's being used in a derogatory way to describe a white person.

So it's not the words themselves but the way in which they are used.

I hope that makes some kind of sense?