An American woman I know was angry and referred to a gay couple as “queens”. I raised it, she is straight cis and says the word is fine in America. I’m in the UK and it’s not ok here unless you’re lgbt yourself (and even then plenty wouldn’t like it).
Can anyone advise?
“Queen” has historically often been used as a slur against specifically gay men in American culture, the OP’s context is an example of that.