i hear you completely and understand for personal reason why it might be a ugly word, but in the end the only person that can give that word power is the person that it is used agiasnt as it only has a negative meaning if you take it personally and as a attack, if you stop paying attention to it, then it will no longer have any power over you
and kenadar, never let yourself doubt your humanity, even if others hate or perscute you, your worth is internal, never think of your self as less or an animal
and by the way the gentle souls that reside in the animals that live with me are every bit as valued as myself or any of you imo