Okay ...

To put it very, very briefly, the nicknames you mention are commonly understood as terms of affection between people who like each other, whereas the abbreviated words you cite as generally used as terms of abuse for people with social power to assert themselves over those who are discriminated against.

It's not that they're massively offensive in and of themselves, but they've picked up connotations in homophobic and transphobic societies.

Posted By: Ottosson Foxtrot, Dec 30, 23:20:34