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A viral article out of the UK is posing an interesting request -- pleading with the public (and the media) to stop using the word "queer" ... as the author apparently views it as a slur.

The brief opinion piece -- which also seems to be a letter to the editor -- appeared in the Guardian this week ... and the headline simply read, "Please don’t use the Q-word." It's written by a fella named Karl Lockwood, who says he's a gay man of nearly 7 decades.

In the 113-word editorial, Lockwood hones into a Guardian piece written last week, which notes that England and Wales had started to count trans and nonbinary people in their census for the first time ever -- while pointing out only 15,000 ID'd specifically as queer.

He adds, "I suspect that many of the others, like me, consider the term to be insulting and derogatory, and certainly not 'reclaimed'. I am a gay man of 66 years with many friends and acquaintances, and know no one who would refer to themselves as queer. It would seem a small minority of activists has encouraged the media to use the word without considering its offensiveness to many people. You wouldn’t use the N-word, so don’t use the Q-word."

In other words, he's referring to a time when "queer" was used to bully others -- which he feels qualifies it as hate speech ... and thus, warrants its censoring in public discourse.

It's an interesting argument, but most of Twitter seems to strongly disagree with this guy ... with a lot of folks on the bird app calling it cloaked "TERF" talk that only serves to erase queer people from the larger conversation. Some also think it targets transgender folks.

Of course, there's also the issue of comparing the use of "queer" to the n-word, which has people fired up. Many say the juxtaposition is apples to oranges -- and that conflating the two is a huge disservice to Black people, not to mention LGBTQ+ people of color.

FedEx is vowing to help Detroit Lions star Taylor Decker ... after the star tackle accused the delivery giant of losing a delivery of breast milk meant for his newborn baby and initially refusing to make amends.

It started when 29-year-old Decker ripped FedEx on Friday ... saying the company lost a big shipment of frozen milk for his 3-month-old baby girl, Daisy Faye Decker, and then refused to pay him back, infuriating the OT.

"Shoutout FedEx for losing a perishable 24-hour shipment of a month supply of milk for my newborn, and responding that there is nothing they can do, and will not reimburse me. What a joke", Taylor wrote on Twitter.

Well, the complaint was blasted out to Decker's 114K followers, which seemed to get the attention of the folks at FedEx HQ ... who told us they're in contact with Decker and are trying to "resolve the issue."

Decker says it's not as easy as just running to the store and replacing the milk ... it's his wife's breast milk that the couple froze and shipped to Arizona for the offseason.

Before taking to social media to air his grievances, Taylor says he drove across Phoenix to 4 different FedEx locations, trying to track down the milk.

Dr. Dre just went in hard on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, threatening her with legal action for exploiting his music "to promote your divisive and hateful political agenda."

Dre's lawyer, Howard King, fired off a letter to Greene, saying "Mr. Young [Dre] has not, and will never, grant you permission to broadcast or disseminate any of his music."

As we reported, Greene posted a video of her walking to the House floor Monday, using Dre's song, "Still D.R.E." as the music bed.

King fired off a demand letter to Twitter, asking the company to block her post. For its part, Twitter not only blocked the post ... it also locked her Twitter account.

But King wasn't done. Dre's lawyer went after her in a blistering way, saying "you would have a passing familiarity with the laws of our country. It's possible, though, that laws governing intellectual property are a little too arcane and insufficiently populist for you to really have spent much time on."

Dre and King were not done ... "We're writing because we think an actual lawmaker should be making laws not breaking laws, especially those embodied in the constitution by the founding fathers."

And then the ultimatum ... King demanded that Green cease and desist from using any of Dre's music, and he set a time deadline ... "please provide me with written confirmation that you have complied with these demands before January 11, 2023 by 5:00 pm EST."

Before the letter was sent, Greene told TMZ, "While I appreciate the creative chord progression, I would never play your words of violence against women and police officers, and your glorification of the thug life and drugs."

We will follow up on this ... promise!

Bob Saget's wife Kelly Rizzo is making sure the world remembers her husband on the anniversary of his death ... sharing a heartfelt tribute and requesting that his legacy lives on with the help of a blue checkmark on Twitter.

Kelly took to Instagram Monday, posting a series of pics and videos writing, "One Year. Our hearts are so heavy. How could I not have talked to or seen my loving husband in a whole year? The surreal-ness never subsides. I’ve accepted the reality long ago but it still seems unreal when I see photos or videos of him so full of life."

She also tweeted directly at Elon Musk, asking Bob's Twitter account -- with more than 2 million followers -- get verified, writing, "I saw he’s no longer verified? My husband truly loved Twitter. Out of respect for his legacy, can something be done? Thank you kindly."

She continues, "And the only reason I’m addressing this at all is because I know Bob would be very bummed about this. He’d say “hey, if someone goes to see my page and all the jokes I’ve tweeted over the years, how will they know it’s for sure me!?”"

Lizzo is starting the new year with a list of grievances about the state of social media -- including the notion that "cancel culture" has been warped into something unrecognizable.

The singer has been expressing a lot of opinions lately about what she sees as total nonsense when it comes to what people focus on online -- especially as it relates to her. On Sunday, though, she had a new thought ... namely, that cancel culture itself is appropriation.

Here's how Lizzo puts it ... "There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused and misdirected." She adds, "I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems." In the comments, several people seem to agree.

Her cancel culture theory is just the latest idea she's voiced on this issue. Earlier this week, she was addressing social media discourse at large -- suggesting users (probably Twitter ones) needed to do a better job at filtering truth from fiction before jumping to conclusions.

This goes beyond people having full-blown debates about her figure, BTW -- which continues to be a subject of conversation. Now, there seems to be talk about Lizzo's music, and which groups she may or may not be catering to ... not to mention opinions on her race.

Speaking of fat-shaming, Lizzo is again tackling that head-on. It seems she's receiving a bit of what Adele was subjected to when she noticeably lost weight ... people criticizing her for not "loving herself" as she was -- this after she'd been mercilessly mocked for years when she was doing exactly that and championing body positivity. A lose-lose scenario, really.

Of course, some might say she'd be better off tuning all of this noise out and carrying on with her business -- but Lizzo's never been one to bite her tongue. On the contrary, she speaks her mind ... which is what so many people love about her to begin with.

Lizzo has a lot to say to the folks who won't stop talking about her figure ... she's tired of all the body shaming and says she's not here to fit anyone's beauty standards.

The singer just went on a long rant on social media, posting a video in a bikini where she sounds off on anyone and everyone who has something to say about her body.

Lizzo says she's tired of the discourse around bodies ... rattling off all the different things she hears about her own body. Her point -- no matter what she does, someone always has something to critique.

Remember ... Kanye West and Aries Spears trashed Lizzo's body last year, and she even responded to their comments during a show in Toronto.

Lizzo doesn't mention anyone by name in her rant, which has been her MO on this topic, but she addresses her haters, celebs and otherwise, calling them "delusional."

The way Lizzo sees it ... she's not here to conform to anyone's beauty standards, and she's going to do whatever she wants with her body, which she says is a work of art in itself.

Lizzo says folks are wasting effort commenting on all her Twitter posts ... and she proposes charging $5.99 for every comment on her tweet.

Emily Ratajkowski loves to hit up New York Knicks games, but don't expect to see the model and author at Jets or Giants games anytime soon ... 'cause she just made her feelings toward the NFL abundantly clear.

"Sorry but ... f*** the NFL," the 31-year-old said in a tweet on Wednesday.

EmRata didn't explain her stance, nor were there any other follow-up tweets ... but it's safe to say she feels strongly about the opinion.

The declaration comes just days after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during Monday Night Football ... which has brought the topic of player safety to the forefront.

While the NFL has dealt with CTE and head injury issues for years, Hamlin's medical emergency has been considered a freak accident ... and the league's professionals have been credited with saving the 24-year-old's life.

Ratajkowski has been spotted courtside at many Knicks games over the years ... most recently, with Pete Davidson.

USC legend LenDale White was so furious after watching his alma mater lose to Tulane that he took to social media to unload on the team ... at one point calling the Trojans defense "a f***ing joke."

Lincoln Riley's offense looked good against the Green Wave in Monday morning's Cotton Bowl -- but the defense ultimately let the team down ... giving up a game-winning TD with just seconds left to lose the contest, 46-45.

White was HOT about it all immediately afterward on Twitter ... rippin' everyone on the Trojans' D -- and then Riley himself.

"Our defense and whoever's a part of it is a f***ing joke," the former SC tailback said. "That bend don't break Defense s*** you brought from OU ain’t gonna cut it..!!!!!!"

He added, "It’s a shame to be a Trojan right now."

White's barrage on his old team didn't stop there ... he also tweeted "Tulane whooped our ass" and retweeted a fan who wrote, "USC is a joke."

SC had a promising start to the season -- it went 11-1 and appeared headed for the College Football Playoff.

But, the Trojans' defense was bad in the 47-24 loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and then again on Monday.

The Atlanta Falcons social media team had a change of heart on Monday ... scrapping a post that appeared to make fun of Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles for missing a game-winning field goal over the weekend.

The now-deleted tweet was published right after ATL's Younghoe Koo nailed a 21-yarder to lead the Falcons to a 20-19 home win over the Arizona Cardinals ... which read, "This is how you make a game-winning field goal at @MBStadium."

Of course, Ruggles was in a similar, yet much more important, position on Saturday night in the College Football Playoff semis against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium ... but his 50-yard attempt ended up wide left, ending Ohio State's national championship hopes.

The Falcons' tweet was widely panned on social media ... with many pointing out Ruggles is just a kid, and he's probably already beating himself up over the situation.

On top of that, the Falcons were awful in 2022-23 ... and comparing a game-winning kick to earn a 6th win late in the season to a missed opportunity at a championship is laughable.

The Falcons must've agreed with the backlash ... 'cause the tweet was deleted on Monday.

But, considering this is the Internet we're talking about, the damage was already done ... and plenty of followers screenshot the bad joke and shared it all over social media.

Sonya Eddy's dead, but her Twitter account is still very much alive ... her page is posting cryptic tweets every day, and the company behind it says its hands are tied.

The late "General Hospital" actress has an app linked to her Twitter account that automatically posts her horoscope every day ... and it's still churning out tweets despite her recent death, with confused fans replying to her tweets in droves.

Some of the horoscopes are pretty creepy, like this one from three days after her death ... "Today could reveal some unexpected rewards."

The app Sonya's official Twitter account is using is called Twittascope ... and honchos at the company that owns Twittascope say they can't do anything to stop the tweets.

For Sonya's account to stop posting daily horoscopes, we're told someone with access to her page will have to manually go in and disable the Twittascope app in her account settings.

As we reported ... Sonya died Dec. 19 after being hospitalized with a serious infection.

The latest TikTok trend is all about tuggin' on family members' heartstrings, announcing the fake death of a beloved celeb ... and while the reactions are pretty hilarious, the viral clips have been met with some "bah humbugs" online.

The trend's picked up some serious steam on social media -- especially as families reconnect for the holidays, and what better way to pass the time than by (falsely) announcing the death of George Clooney or Kris Jenner ... right??

Gotta admit, there are some funny reactions in the mix ... from blood-curdling screams to almost reaching tears, it really goes to show just how much these stars mean to people.

While TikTokers are gettin' a good laugh, the joke ain't landing with some ... because a good chunk of the comments sections on these clips are filled with people calling the prank "unsettling."

Some are even blasting the younger generation for making light of the death of a celeb, even with their passing being untrue ... one even commented on a post, "This is so sick."

Kid Cudi crushed plenty of his fan’s dreams on Wednesday ... revealing his once-proposed joint album with Travis Scott is no longer a thing.

Cudi shut down the album on Twitter, flatly telling the inquiring fan the moment had passed them by ... despite being a chart-topping moment!!!

Cudi and Travis officially formed their short-lived duo back in April 2020 and dropped their theme song “The Scotts” ... which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that May.

The song became Cudi’s first No. 1 hit and was the sound of “Fortnite” for a time … but the two superstar artists haven’t hit the booth since.

Elon Musk says he's out as CEO of Twitter ... as soon as he finds a replacement.

Musk confirmed the news in an amusing tweet Tuesday night..."I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take this job!"

He added..."After that, I will only run the software & servers teams." Pretty shocking stuff from a guy who recently purchased the company for $44 BILLION!!

Of course, the move stems from a poll Musk took earlier in the week, asking millions of Twitter users to vote on whether he should remain the boss. More than 57 percent of the people voted to oust Elon, compared with just over 42 percent who wanted him to stay as head honcho.

The poll seemed tied to Elon's misstep on Sunday when he implemented a policy that barred accounts from promoting competing platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Twitter users expressed anger over the new rule because they're accustomed to sharing messages across open social media networks. Musk quickly buckled, adjusting the policy to suspend accounts whose primary purpose is to give free advertising to rival companies.

Elon's troubles with Twitter have only been mounting. Last week, Musk temporarily suspended the accounts of several prominent journalists after he accused them of doxxing him by revealing his personal information and the whereabouts of his private jet in real-time.

Meek Mill has closed the book on his life on Twitter ... he's just the latest celeb to jump ship since Elon Musk took over in October.

The Philly rapper made the abrupt decision Sunday evening to close his account, and cited too many bots and weirdos as his reason for flying the coop on the bird app.

He says he’ll now interact with fans via YouTube as he prepares for his next career stage as an independent artist.

Meek was one of the most notorious rappers to ever tweet ... amassing more than 11 million followers before he killed his account.

His most infamous moment came in 2015 when he called out Drake for ghostwriting ... birthing his "Twitter fingers" nickname.

Meek's not alone in hating Twitter these days — Toni Braxton, Shonda Rimes and Whoopi Goldberg are just a handful of celebs who don't like the new direction ... but the current climate could very well change any minute.

Elon Musk seems to have heard all the Twitter criticism loud and clear -- which is why he's leaving his position at the company in the hands of the people ... quite literally.

The Chief Twit took to his favorite platform Sunday, and started off by apologizing for what sounds like Twitter's no-more-personal-promotion policy ... in which they'll ban anyone who plugs other social media profiles of theirs on Twitter.

He wrote, "Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won’t happen again." After that, he posed a question and interesting proposition, asking ... "Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll."

It's a simple Yes/No poll, and as of this writing ... nearly 6 million people have weighed in, with about 58% in favor of Yes, and 42% saying No. There's still about 10 hours left to vote.

In a somewhat ominous and cryptic follow-up post, he wrote ... "As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it." To us, that means he will, in fact, abide by the outcome ... like he previously has in other polls. Bringing Trump back comes to mind.

Now, there are some cynics who feel like this an empty promise from Elon -- as they suspect he'll simply install a sock-puppet CEO ... while he continues to pull the strings BTS. He will still be the majority owner of Twitter, after all -- so he could still presumably call the shots.

He did recently allude to that type of carte blanche rule earlier this year when he was discussing his Content Moderation Council -- basically saying, what I say goes, period.

Elon, however, appeared to shoot this notion down -- saying he doesn't have somebody else in mind for the gig ... and that there is no successor. He says no one would really want this job. Time will tell if he follows through, and what that'll mean for Twitter at large. 👀

Vox Populi, Vox Dei!

50 Cent trolled the hell out of Megan Thee Stallion -- and while he's catching flak for it, the real question that seems to be getting asked is ... does he single out women to beef with???

That's the conversation taking place on Twitter right now -- this after Curtis posted a meme this weekend that showed MTS morphing into Jussie Smollett. He captioned it, "Damn i’m confused all this shit going around 🤷🏽‍♂️ i don’t know what to think. LOL."

In other words ... he doesn't seem to believe Megan's claims against Tory Lanez. Nothing all that profound, but his poking fun has gotten bird app users all fired up over whether this is par for the course -- aka, going after females -- or if he's an equal opportunity rabble-rouser.

The debate was sparked by one woman who wrote, "50 cent literally only brings that energy towards women. A coward." While she turned off her replies, people are retweeting this and pointing out the countless feuds Fitty's been in with prominent men over the years.

Some of the fellas 50 Cent has publicly beefed with (in emphatic terms) ... The Game, Floyd Mayweather, Fat Joe, Diddy, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Young Buck, Benzino and, of course, Ja Rule. Oh, and he's had a lot of issues with his own son, Marquise.

Now, the guy has also gotten into it with a fair amount of famous women as well -- most notably ... Vivica A. Fox, Lala Kent, Madonna, Teairra Mari and even Oprah Winfrey.

There's also been several times where 50 has made clear ... he's not afraid of the smoke, apparently from anyone. But, on the issue of whether he's got a deeply-rooted hatred of women (especially WOC) -- the evidence seems to support that he clowns everyone.