After having their applications denied multiple times, lesbian motorcyclists in San Francisco have won approval to trademark the name "Dykes on Bikes," says a lawyer for the group.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says the phrase could be seen as insulting to lesbians and had rejected applications by the San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent to trademark "Dykes on Bikes," reports Reuters

But the National Centre for Lesbian Rights and the Brooke Oliver Law Group says the word "dyke" is no longer seen as derogatory.

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