Is it ever okay for straight people to use slang terms like “faggot,” “dyke,” or “queer”?

Is it ever okay for straight people to use slang terms like “faggot,” “dyke,” or “queer”?

No: Even straight people with LGBT-friendly sensibilities are better off avoiding those terms. You’re probably asking this question because you’ve heard LGBT people say them. Lesbians frequently use “dyke” to refer to one another, in a warm, family sort of way. Gay men will sometimes do the same with the term “faggot.” These phrases, however, are still extremely offensive when used as epithets by those outside the gay community, and, in fact, not all LGBT people are comfortable using them because of their history. Out of a straight person’s mouth, they just don’t work at all.