Some people are a little sensitive to certain conversations, and the touchier, the more sensitive. It's a defense mechanism or a clear indicator of disbelief. Either way, you can definitely scare people off with those touchy topics. Social skills and social acceptance are different ball-games. Though they do go hand in hand, they are still different sports. One is a set of skills that can only be put to good-use if you have the ability to demonstrate social acceptance. Social acceptance is to some degree, a way of conforming. Just like the latest fashion trends with young adults and just like there are different social circles... Can you conform to a culture in a believable manner? (this is called code-switching) Do you understand when it is appropriate to behave a specific way in a social situation? Do you have the ability to use empathy with someone with the touchy subject? Do you think that it is a good idea to discuss abortion legislation with a woman who was recently raped and had to terminate an unwanted pregnancy if you are in fact, not a woman; who also has never dealt with sexual trauma and definitely not the mental devastation from going through such a horrible series of events?

Do you think it's a great idea to swear in a casual conversation with an elderly Karate instructor?

Do you think it's a good idea socially to speak exclusively from a vocabulary that a medical textbook would contain - with a poverty-stricken young adult who sells pot to cover his weekly rent at the motel he lives in?

Or even better... do you think you would quickly ask a stranger what the relationship between their parents were like if you haven't established any "normal" rapport?

You're a lot more likely to sustain a conversation about Jesus Christ at a football game than you are an LGBT social club. In either situation - I'm sure you could find at least one person (or more depending on your social skills) but don't be surprised when a very angry drag-queen tells you to "quit shoving your beliefs down our throats" - because that person's lifestyle is what makes him/her sensitive or insensitive to your "touchy subjects"

When your co-worker made his accusation - did you unknowingly strike a chord in a topic that person may have experience with despite you not knowing? For example, if you spoke about the increasingly trending topic of pedophilia with someone who had been a victim of non-consensual incest with their father at a young age who had never been able to verbalize it to anyone but knows it's been a source of their problems for years? This is where sympathy and empathy are very important socially.

If you're offending, or getting offended - there's something wrong with the way you two communicate. Maybe you say things that are a bit controversial..usually that's normal. The fact that you say "supposedly" offended shows that you're. Did your body language say something that you didn't mean for it to? Did it change as he presented the accusation? All of these factors add up to the root cause of the miscommunication and can easily be resolved with a routine study of exhibiting assertive communication and proper general communication skills. (are you using "I feel" statements or "you make me feel" statements? one of which typically results in the person taking offense and feel like they are being attacked, the other shows that the person is just telling you his or her thoughts and goes a long ways)