I get the feeling that this is a retcon etymology.
Either way, it's marginalizing[1] and needs to be changed.
[1] In one of my wife's murder mysteries, I forget which, a woman quips in a brilliant stroke of teleplay writing: "Don't call people 'babes' or 'lushes', it's marginalising." I propose we use "marginalizing" instead of "offensive" because "offensive" is subjective whereas "marginalizing" denotes objective harm to a community.
Either way, it's marginalizing[1] and needs to be changed.
[1] In one of my wife's murder mysteries, I forget which, a woman quips in a brilliant stroke of teleplay writing: "Don't call people 'babes' or 'lushes', it's marginalising." I propose we use "marginalizing" instead of "offensive" because "offensive" is subjective whereas "marginalizing" denotes objective harm to a community.