" Could someone please explain to me why the word gyp*** is considered a racial slur. I note that the body that represents gyp***s in the USA calls itself the Gypsy Council USA and in the UK it is the Gypsy Council. This is the term they have chosen to represent their ethnicity and they seem to be proud of it. Who are we to disagree?"

Much like our community (and governments, and other groups composed of more than one person) there is neither clear support for nor clear derision for the term.  

If you ask people who might be described as Gypsies, and actually listen to the responses, you'll hear a range of answers.  Some people like the term and are offended that anyone would want to change it.  Some are ok calling themselves that, but want ownership of the term.  Some people think it's fine as a dance term but are offended by people who call themselves Dance Gypsies.  Some are totally fine with the term as relates to Dance Gypsies, but don't like it as a dance term.  Some would have the term be abolished completely and not be used by anyone to refer to anything.

Considering it's a debate that is unlikely to be answered in my lifetime, I've decided to stop using the term and to let them sort out what it means in other contexts.  Other people are free to answer the question as they see fit.

The term I've been using is Face-to-Face.  It has a lot of the advantages that Right-Shoulder-Round does, but is slightly more economical as regards syllables and maintains an emphasis on looking at the other person.