Regnerus: Animus? What Animus?

"Dignity 1.0, the older conception shared by Christians, natural law theorists and others, refers to the idea that humans have 'inherent worth of immeasurable value that is deserving of certain morally appropriate responses.' Understood in this way, dignity is an inalienable value. It’s a reality. Human dignity does not become real when you start to believe in it. It remains real even when neglected or violated. It may be discerned differently across eras, but it’s not arbitrary, to be socially constructed in unique ways by collective will or vote. Resistance to others’ wish to marry someone of the same sex may harm their sense of dignity, but that’s quite distinct from damaging or compromising their real dignity. We can recognize the dignity of persons by acknowledging and respecting their freedom to form relationships, or their rights as parents. Indeed, we do. It is neither animus nor an indignity, however, to identify one relationship as a marriage, and another as not." - Discredited researcher Mark Regnerus, writing for Public Discourse.