Perhaps if we ignored some of these reactions to words after... 80+ years, and just let the 'new' meaning become the default... we can move past censoring words that someone, somewhere, used as an insult?

I'd recommend you read up on the aids health supplement, and how that attitude didn't help them. Simple fact is that GIMP has an unfortunate name, it's not getting any better despite your wishes to single-handedly control the most important language on the planet. Its name makes the whole product less appealing, making it a harder sell to switch from Photoshop. A better name would be in order.

The word 'boy' - depending on how said, and the parties involved - could be considered to have racial overtones. We don't stop using that word. We understand context. If I say the word 'boy' when talking to someone, is it automatically a 'slur'? More broadly, is there ever a time when we should assume good intentions vs bad intentions, or do we just constantly assume bad intentions or bad faith in every piece of conversation or writing we consume?

I was asked for a status on a dev issue. I indicated that the bulk of the work was done, except for a couple of small niggling UI issues.

I was "taken aside" and told "I don't ever want to hear you use the n-word again". I was baffled, and still somewhat am. I've used that 'n word' for... over 30 years. It's in literature I've read, have heard prominent people use it for decades, but ... "it's a racist word. racist people use that word. people think you're racist if you use that word".

But... I had to stop using that word around some people who took offense to it.

And... FWIW, I've never cared for the name 'gimp', but not from a perceived slur/slight.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gimp

Second etymology, fourth definition.

Yeah, no.

Gimp (3): 1. (sometimes offensive): Cripple (sense 1a)

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https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gimp

The noun gimp is sometimes used to describe a limp or another physical disability, although it's an outdated and offensive word to use.

If you comment on someone's gimp, call the person a gimp, or say, "Look at that guy trying to gimp across the parking lot without his crutches," you've chosen a very objectionable way to talk about a disability. People will know what you mean if you use the word, but they're likely to be offended by it. Gimp was first used in the 1920's, possibly as a combination of limp and gammy, an old slang word for "bad."

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New Oxford Dictionary of American English

gimp(2) | ɡimp | North American informal, derogatory noun 1 a person with a physical disability or leg injury. • a limp. 2 a stupid or contemptible person.

Sure.

That said...

> Perhaps if we ignored some of these reactions to words after... 80+ years, and just let the 'new' meaning become the default... we can move past censoring words that someone, somewhere, used as an insult?

The world we live in today lets black rappers use the n-word in their music while also seeing white teachers get fired for using it in the context of a classroom discussion about why it is a bad word and ought not be used.

The mental gymnastics of accepting a word which could be either a term of endearment or the most deeply offensive pejorative are too messy for my liking.

> It just wasn't a word used in my circle/area

This highlights the problem, I think. You've moved from a circle where it wasn't even in use, to a circle where it is in use with one meaning (an acronym), and now another circle where it has been used for 100 years with an entirely different meaning (a slur).

You have a decision to make. Acknowledge that other people see the word differently than you do, or try to convince everyone that only your view of the word is the right one. Personally, I think it would be easier for the gimp to be renamed, but I'm also making an assumption (based on the circles I've run in) that more people are familiar with gimp as a slur than they are with it as an acronym for a software program.