I think to an extent yes, but if that were truly the case then I think a lot more people would choose not to be offended by things much more often. I feel like sometimes you just can’t help it, and especially on a topic that someone is uncomfortable with. Many gay people out there are comfortable with their sexuality and can choose not to be offended by it, but someone who isn’t so comfortable with the self might not.

You can then look at that situation in two ways. Either 1. That’s their fault for being sensitive over it when it isn’t even meant to hurt them, or 2. I’ll just avoid saying it because I don’t want to hurt them. I just go with option two because it doesn’t bother me at all and I’d rather be safe than sorry, but this option also does allow people who choose to be offended by things to add in even more unnecessary things that people can’t say (this includes a lot of things that are considered politically incorrect).