I printed up a T-shirt a few years back that I tend to wear to Pride Parades. It has the slogan: “I’m only a cis-y . Can I have a rainbow too? “ which sometimes raises a smile. I have no intention of disposing of it just because somebody speaking ex cathedra on behalf of all humankind has declared the word to be “offensive”.

It should be obvious that the meaning of words varies with place, time, context and so on. Very few words are absolutely offensive. Moreover banning some words doesn’t stop the endlessly creative ways humans have of finding subtle ways to “dis” one another.

If we all stop obsessing about categories and labels and just be kind to people and assume in turn that they are being kind to us unless we have real evidence to the contrary, then the world will be a far happier place.