[dumpsterdiver]

I'm sorry that people downvoted you (they did it to me too, so I can commiserate). Imo, your question is totally valid. It's likely that you are correct in this case, and that I am in fact subconsciously relating the aforementioned phrase that annoys me with the painful period of social upheaval that we experienced here in the US.

It's important to remember that during that time, many words were misappropriated (edit) by both sides in order to fit an agenda. Before that period of upheaval, the phrases that were misappropriated were not generally offensive, even to the people who found them confusing. Up until that point I truly believe that most people regarded such unrelatable concepts (i.e. a person identifying as something other than their physical makeup would suggest) as being simply unrelatable, but tolerable. I don't think most people had strong feelings one way or the other before the upheaval. I think when I hear those "dirty" words now though, that I experience some form of PTSD. The people with the megaphone (again, on all sides) did a damn fine job dividing all of us, imo.