I just saw this thread.
It's interesting to see how the responses have tended to fall among typical "typelines."
I appreciate seeing the discusson that is occurring. I think it's good when people actually listening and try to empathize with how the "other side" might be experiencing and viewing the situation; and along those lines, I'd encourage people not to bail out of frustration, but to continue to represent their side well... as long as you're doing the first part -- i.e., listening.
My two cents?
I can laugh at some pretty hard things that I know some people can't. I usually take into account the person making the jokes and what their intentions probably were. I don't like it when people have trouble keeping that in perspective and can never seem to "take a joke."
At the same time, I'd get really ticked off if I kept getting the same unoriginal joke(s) directed at me time and time again by people trying to be cute... especially if I was the minority, and super-especially if I was a minority that people seemed to have negative feelings towards to start with. It gets old, trust me. It really does, regardless of what type or gender or age or social group you belong to. These are jokes being directed at shaming personal identity, not just general jokes being made; so yes, they are soon enough taken personally.
The goal of this particular forum is to encourage participation between different types of people, not undermine it, and the community can only benefit from that. If you really really hate that idea, there are some other forums that focus on one particular type where you can probably say things in ways you enjoy and not have to worry about being misunderstood.