1. Hardly pointless, but yes, it does not glorify it past a slang-term usage useful for reference. Given that we also calmly use "gay" and "lesbian" or "same-sex" as well as the term "homosexual", I'd say this is not an entirely foreign tendency in our language.

2. That is, quite honestly, going into a theory of writing, and of my place as a fan, that aggravates me deeply. So I think I'll leave my response at that, as I don't think my going further would get us anywhere useful. You'll forgive me if I bow out? I didn't want to simply leave it unresponded to, as that strikes me as impolite.