Saint Cad posted this on the other thread he started on the subject but I think it’s better to address it here since this is where I made the remark.
If it were me, what I would say would be something along the lines of “I’m sorry for using words that some people might regard as sexist. I am not a sexist, and don’t want to be viewed as such. In the future I will try to avoid using such words to avoid giving the impression I might be sexist.”
If you don’t want to give the impression you are sexist, then the best thing is obviously to avoid using language that might be perceived that way. And if you do use it, you should apologize for giving the wrong impression.