I won't speak for anyone, but some of you who think it shouldn't be a big deal that honestly believe that, whether you are in the LGBTQ+ community or not, is probably you are comfortable in your own skin so it doesn't bother you. I work in the restaurant industry in Boston, and as a flexibly straight white dude I'm constantly in the minority and I love it since I get exposed to all types. However, even in an industry in a place that should be a safer space than most, I've watched many people struggle with it. Just one example, a friend who is gay served at my last spot and he was one of the happiest, nicest people I've met in my life, very comfortable in his skin around us, but whenever he went home he'd have to hide his true self, act straight for the family. How do you think he'd feel if a family member said it's not a harmful word while he has to hide himself? I know many people that struggle along those lines.
Then even the bigger picture, my sister and her partner have two kids, each carried one. They are well off, both work in jobs that require travel. They are completely comfortable here in the Boston area, but now are looking into adopting the child they didn't carry because if something happens when they travel some states might not recognize their marriage down the line with the way some are trending.
He may have not meant it to be harmful(up for debate), but as the comments section on the Athletic article shows, it allows people to be awful instead of moving towards a place where my friend can be himself with his family and my sister isn't scared about having her family pulled apart