That is great!

Thats great to hear that .but i think most society probably thinks we crazy to stay with our loved ones or supoort him .i never ever will tell anyone .scared to talk to anyone cause of judgement .we live in enough pain evetyday .shed so much tears and upset .its good you was able ti talk to someone though gbu

I too have been able to tell someone and they didn't judge me either. Others thought I was crazy to stay and thought I would snap out of it later. Most of them have dropped out of my life, and not sorry to see them go.

I've had incidents when I told someone my past and got judged now I keep my mouth shut

I don't know. Sometimes I think it might be good to talk to people and explain things. The more people we educate, the better the chance that some may see how ridiculous all this is. I have been upfront with my boss and co-workers, and none of them are judgmental. As a matter of fact, they support me and ask about him all the time. Everybody has to make their own decisions, but sometimes, you might be surprised that not everyone will judge you. It might be a chance to change people's views on "Sex Offenders" and show them just how many people end up on the registry for stupid things. Just a thought.

The more we humanize the registry, and let people see that not all SO's are monsters, and how it affects the families, the easier we can change people's perspectives.

Glad to hear that they did not judge you. This is a hard thing talking to people about due to the fear everyone has about sex offenders.

I'm blunt about it

Over the years I have noticed something about registered citizens; I have experienced this myself.

We are so accustomed to being degraded, demonized, and called names ranging from monster to pedophile----even for those convicted of non contact crimes, or even worse for those that are innocent---that when we do meet someone who is at least willing to treat us fairly and give us a chance in life, we are overwhelmed with gratitude.

Our emotions are really heightened when we meet someone who understands and is not judgmental. It gives us hope and renews our belief in humanity.

I am just happy there are still wise people in the world who are open minded and can look at a situation and take into consideration the details of what happened.

rewdiazepam

I always tell people I meet relatively early. I want them to get to know me before my label, but at the same time, I don't want to get someone too attached to me and feel like I misled them or manipulated them somehow, so I try to let them know before that person falls for me.

I'd say most of the time I've had success. On a couple of occasions, I had a woman freak out about it. But on the upside at least it wasn't before we got close.

I also try my best not to date women with kids (sometimes they don't let me know up front they have kids, I guess since many men don't want to date a woman with kids, can't say i blame them considering our stranger danger climate).

I will say this much-- online dating is far worse than meeting a woman in real life, because it is just like an online job interview, and it seems the women are pickier.

Oh, my principle also applies to friendships as well. But if they are just acquaintances, like the people at my gym, I don't tell them squat.

It seems like it also depends on what part of the country you are in. Here in NE CT there are a number of RSO's in town and one right down the street. Yet no one bothers them, they lead normal lives and jobs with no issues and not a peep out of the rest of the town.

frogpond1,

The reason that nobody bothers the registered citizens in CT is because you live in a more civilized part of the country.

In my area of the country, there are a lot of ignorant rednecks and hillbillies who would put a bullet hole through a registered citizen's head if they could. Just really simple, ignorant human beings here.

The people in the Bible Belt, you know, the good Christian people, make life as difficult as possible for any registrant or any fellow human being that is not perceived as "one of them." This includes gays, immigrants, felons, sex offenders, etc. And no matter what they tell you, many of them do not hold women in very high regard.

Of course, this is not the teachings of Jesus Christ, but these people are not real Christians anyway. Oh, yeah, they go to church every Sunday, but that is mostly for show.

I know, I have lived in a Bible Belt state all my life and I am astonished at their hypocrisy and lack of tolerance for others.

I also want to add that many Christians do not feel this way at all, but some "Christians" here in Oklahoma can be the most judgmental people on the face of the earth.

rewdiazepam

The Bible Belt is a bit of a misnomer. Many of them don't go to church aside from weddings, funerals, and free dinners for the poor.

In the South, church is more a social than a religious function for many people.

I couldn't agree more Rew and Once Fallen!

I talk to very few people about this because this is my daughter's burden and unless she gives her permission (which is her right) I just don't. There have been several people she has given the ok for and I am proud to say they have stayed true friends and believe in her because they know her and know this does not define the person she truly is....I love her deeply and respect her more each day for the strong person that I know she is....I have always told her we come from a line of very strong women before us and we all have burdens to bear and mistakes to overcome. Her best friend testified on her behalf and her husband stood by her and continues to do so....which makes me respect him that much more! This has been such a trial and each day brings new issues and problems to deal with. She has 6+ years of probation to go and everyday we all wait with baited breath for them to find some stupid reason to knock her down some more....and then we thank God at the end of the day for giving us one more to keep trying to get through this.....I agree with one thing, we do need to get their individual stories out there because people need to be reminded they are human, they are your mothers, your daughters, your fathers, your brothers, your wife and your husband....it can happen to anyone and it is not usually the horrible crime that you think it is.....it is just a stupid mistake, one that can't be taken back but can be learned from and makes a person become better.