My best friend growing up is gay. We grew up together - he's like my brother. As a kid I had many fist fights defending him, and not one of them had anything to do with the word fag. One of my first cousins is gay.... But we aren't talking about a gay person being called a fag now are we?
And if someone who didn't like him called him a faggot, that would have been offensive to him. And possibly to you.
And, as you said, we're talking about calling a straight man a faggot -- which is CERTAINLY fighting words, and a silly, childish thing to do.
Ann goofed this time. No big deal -- except this is exposing some C folks as amazing apologists.