It is obvious that 50 years has slowly changed the meanings and context in which we use the words "dyke" and "queer" however it is still a very "on the fence" subject for most people i think. Although it has come half a century and these words have been adapted by gay and lesbian commmunities, there is still a very awful contation that can come from these words. I personally hate hearing either word, in the bulk of contexts i hear them in. However i accept that they do not always have negative meanings. Ive heard these words spoken casually amongst the gay/lesbian communities as both a negative and a positive/common word and it seems in a lot of cases today that these words are in the same position as the disgusting term "nigger" has been in for quite some time. People still use this term to describe african americans which is really really sad however it has evoleved with the help of cultural change in to a common word amongst its own race. This doenst change the fact that the word is VERY prevelant as an antagonistic word and something people can use to describe something that they hate or feel better than. "Dyke" and "queer" are in the same exact place, however they are "newer" terms that many people have had to be indoctrined or adjusted to with the emergence and change of the gay community. Its now, that really for the first time, most people from the ages 10 and up know these words and there meanings however dependant on the conotation you were lead to understand. At the same time its incredible that these words can be completely ignored now because of how common they are. Continuous exposure to these words does not rid them of any hate they might contain, but adjusts people and they way they think about them. Unfoutunalty you cant change a word and they way people percieve it just by using a lot and making it public instead of something small. I still feel like these words are very mucha grey area that is left up to the context and speaker to determine how they will be placed and both the context/speaker could be explaning a lot of different ideas/feelings/morals with these same words, being used in the same way. I dlike to see how hte evolve in 50 more years