Day 4: Do you call yourself a witch? Why or why not?

This is part of a series based on Allec's 31 Days of Secular Witchcraft questionnaire.  I wrote the bulk of these entries on 10/26 while flametending.

I can see the comments getting heated here.  Please read with an open mind.

Yes, I call myself a witch.

I know that there are negative connotations with that word going way back to ancient times, but I still call myself a witch.  English isn't the only language in my life, and my genetic heritage (as far as I could go, about 900 years) is not only from the British isles.  Many words have a strange or negative origin.  Vagina, for example, comes from a word meaning a sheath for a sword, but I still use the word vagina, despite it's phallocentric and violent etymology.  Queer is a similar case.  I know that there are negative connotations with queer, but I think it's a term we should reclaim, just as with witch.  As a feminist, I also identify with the so-called "witches" who were victims of sexist violence during the Inquisition.

I know that many Neopagans have the facts wrong and have exaggerated and misinterpreted the Inquisition.  I'm a voracious reader with a BA with majors in English with a concentration in writing and linguistics and in Spanish, so I know a bit about etymology and religious history.  When I say "identify with," I mean that I stand in solidarity with the people, many of whom were female, who were accused of witchcraft groundlessly.  The vast majority of them weren't witches.  I know that there were men accused as well.  I know that it was largely about money and land, not religion.  When I say witch, I am saying the magical equivalent of, "We're here, we're queer, get used to it."

I am willing to engage in respectful, thoughtful dialogue about this issue in the comments.  Obnoxious and profane comments will be deleted.  Disagreeing with me is wonderful, but do it rationally and compassionately, please.