I’m having mixed feelings, about “gay panic” being reclaimed as “cute panic attack”.

On one hand, it’s cute, memably useful, and makes me feel fuzzy inside.

On the other hand, it (and “trans panic”) are the names of legally enshrined excuses to literally murder or otherwise assault lgbt folks, and get off with significantly reduced sentences (on the scale of half what would otherwise be) from the courts. Because once, in the distant past of —(literally today’s 10 American states still??? Wtf???), “being sexually approached and panicking, flying into mad rage from disgust, and assaulting/killing them”, was called gay panic, gave reduced sentences, and was seen as reasonable defense.

Maybe, making history(and apparently present politics) harder to remember and research, should be avoided. I’m not sure what’s right, people will decide that by using the language. But I think personally I’ll try to avoid this, admittedly cute use of the phrase.