My research investigates the impact of 'linguistic reclamation' - non-derogatory uses, by members of marginalised communities, of the slurs used by more powerful groups to target them - on the cognitive processing of slur words. It focuses particularly on slurs targeting the LGBTQ+ community, as a group to which I belong, targeted by a wide range of British English slurs, many of which are the focus of reclamation projects to varying degrees. My research draws on a body of psycholinguistic literature on the cognitive processing of taboo language, and uses a combination of online surveys, lexical decision tasks, recall tests, and eye-tracking experiments. My research provides new evidence about the unconscious, emotional effects of linguistic reclamation; introduces the issue of reclamation to the literature on taboo language processing; and contributes evidence to broader social debates and language policy decisions surrounding the reclamation of slurs.