After the first ArtsBeat post on the South Park controversy appeared today, a commenter using the identifier “RW,” wrote, “Didn’t ‘queer’ used to be a derogatory name for homosexuals – and yet today many gay groups embrace the term.” RW is correct. Here’s a Times article from 1991 on efforts at that time to take the sting out of that slur. If you’ve been following the conversation today, a lot of it will sound familiar.