M. Thop: I appreciate you taking the time to articulate your thoughts, so no need for an apology (though I thank you for same).

Certainly, I agree that we are "more than" our skin tone.

My article was not unintended to imply that all that matters is the color of our skin. More importantly, it was to address what it feels like when I hear those words uttered.

To be clear, I've also heard the term from a Black man in my tight circle. According to him, the color is less relevant - similar to your perspective.

To me, the term sounds like erasure - a negation of such a beautiful part of what makes me who I am (& the rest of us, for that matter).