IMO people shouldn't get uptight about it, unless it's done with malice. I have a gender neutral first name and don't get upset if people think I'm male,it's not done deliberately.On the other hand "never assume... it makes an ass out of u and me" 
I think it's more just being a bit mindful. I don't see people getting super angry and uptight about it, but it's a stupidly simple change to just not use a gendered word to make everyone feel included. I try to use gender neutral terms throughout my life. You never know when your little word could be powerful to someone who feels excluded already.
Perhaps I feel it more deeply because I have regularly been surrounded by men at work. I am the only female in my current team, one of only three in the wider team of 55, and this is actually the first time I've EVER worked with another female developer in the wider team in my whole career. Even if there are women in my team they're nearly always QA's or project managers.
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