Well I married one... granted I knew him prior to the offense...

It really depends on the person, I try to take people at face value... let them earn trust as everyone else does and unless they do me wrong I see no reason to doubt them.

A good example is Mexicans... There are the stereotypes out there, yet I have NEVER met one that has done ANY of those things to me. In fact they were the exact opposite of all the stereotypes... Take people at face value, if a person is unwilling to do that then they are unwilling to do the same in many other situations and you might find they are not the kind of person you want to be with anyway. You know?

I am dating a sex offender. I actually worked with him 15 years before, but really never knew him that well back than. We never hung out and weren't friends or anything, just we remember each other from back than. Never ever saw each other again after that until a few years ago. Then we started dating two years ago, he had been "accused" of his crime maybe just the year before, so it hadn't gone to court or anything.

We started seeing each other casual at first, so he never mentioned his charges etc, but a couple of months after we started dating he told me. Not everything at first. It was hard for him to tell me. It kind of shocked me at first and I had to process what he told me, we hadn't been dating long, but were getting more serious and we felt really connected. So then slowly he showed me all the paperwork etc and talked to me about all the charges, court stuff etc.

Then he went to court and ended up taking a plea and then his life began as a sex offender. I knew that it would be hard, but I have been involved with minority groups in the past, my point in saying this is that people would judge these minority's just because of who they were or what they thought they were. Not even getting to know them. So I would stand up for their rights and I knew that I could do that with my boyfriend too. Just I knew I needed support, hence why I found this group online. Very helpful group I do believe. Lots of informative information and supportive people here.

Also if something happened and it didn't work out with my bf and myself, I know I now have a totally different view on how sex offenders are treated than I did before. Before I would see the Sex Offender registry and thought oh my I hope none of them live near me and my children. I am really ashamed of having thought that now knowing what I know. I think more people need to have their eyes opened, personally know someone and get to know them and then when they find out be like wow....I didn't realize it was like this.

So I do believe there are people out there that will date a sex offender, but they have to be a strong type that will stand up for what they believe in because there will be many people that will think they are crazy or need help or don't know what they are doing. I just had a long conversation with my parents yesterday and they made me very angry about how they were talking and they said that I need counseling etc, because I don't know what I am doing etc. Won't go into it,, too long of conversation and too much said. Just they brought up the "Christian" way and in my opinion they weren't being very "Christian" in the way they were judging my bf and I.

I also want to say I have about 3-4 friends that know about my bf and they support me. I don't need a world of friends if they don't support me. I only need a few and when you are a sex offender or with one or supporting one, you will find out who really are your friends or who really your "family" is. Sad to say, but true.

that is very true i know when i told my ex she was some what in shock at first but then she accepted me for who i am and not what i did she found out that i was a sweet loving caring guy her folks even found out they wouldn't let me around there grand kids for a while when they where over there so me and her we would go do things out side the house then they began to open up to me and accept me for who i am they have even asked me and my friend to watch thee kids a few times alot of people who knew my offense and was very close to me had me watch there kids because they knew me for me and they didn't care about my record,i say if you love someone you will be there for them threw the thick and thin of it all you just need to learn to accpet them,i think when i date someone it takes time for me to tell them what i did because i want them to get to know me first before i expose my demons this goes for the same with the friends i hangout i want them to know me for me and not for what i did

Very true Nathan, I wouldn't think a person would tell someone right away, that doesn't even give the relationship a chance, but if once things are getting serious a person must tell, because it is a very important factor for a relationship, especially if the other person has children.

I'm engaged to a sex offender. Been dating him for 14 months. I continued dating him when I found out, because I whole heartly believe that he shouldnt even be labeled one. Its dumb, and he has nine more years to register then he's done. I agree with steph, I was also one that ran to judgment on RSO's, only to fine out that the laws are retarted. That people get on the list for stupid things. It really depends on the RSO, and you as the person.

amen to that life i think it's stupid how they judge us for the crime and not for who we are as a person yes there are those who deserve being on the registery for what they did and then there are those who don't because of one stupid mistake they make in there pass,on paper it says im a sex offender but do you always belive what is written on paper or do you belive what the person tells you them selfs,it could say on a piece of paper i am the president of the untied states but would you belive it unless i told you in person and show you proof that i was the president then you would belive me i got some bad news for you life his 10 years will not start until after probation i learned this the hard way i think it's stupid how they wait tell you get off probation to make you start the 10 years if i would to of started it on probation i would be nearing the end and off it in a year or so

Yeah really messed up how it is. My boyfriend got off probation this summer and now is on parole. A special 10 year sentence, not sure if they have that in all the states or not. So I am wondering if he gets of the registry after 10 years starting when he is on parole or after he is off parole? Who knows? If it is after he gets off parole, he is going to be on the registry for a very very long time! Way more than 10 years for sure!

What state are you in Nathan?

utah and that doesn't make sense he got off probation is now on 10 year parole something sounds fishy i would have him look into that i got of probation and didn't look back only thing i gotta do is register every 6 months and other then that do what i do every day

My husband and I have been married for a little over a year now and the SO thing was never an issue for me. When we met 4 years ago, he was just finishing up his 7 years of probation when he got a call from his PO telling him he had to register. I think we were only dating for a month the first time he registered. When he came home and had to tell me, I thought he was going to say he had a kid. He was so nervous that I was going to run away. When he said he was a RSO I was actually kind of relieved (that it wasn't a kid because I was only 19). I knew a guy that was put on the registry when he was 19 for having sex with a girl that was 14 (but said she was 17), so I already knew that they put just anyone on it. Anyway, it has never been a problem for me. I love my husband for the person he is.

I have been with my man for almost 2 years now and we are getting married next month so yes, I would date a rso :)

Seeing how I AM a former offender, I'd say hell yeah, especially that Debra LaFave, she's still pretty hot :)

alot of postive post you two do look like a cute couple soto

@ Nathan thanks :)

OKay, I'm new...everything I'm reading is so inspiring. I'm in a relationship with a RSO ( he is innocent and even if he wasn't the punishment for his conviction does not match the crime)...anyway...we have been together for a little over a year and live together. I work in human services and I get SO nervous...I'm about to take steps to apply for a counseling license. I feel like our relationship is in limbo and it might come down to me making a choice between him and a career. How does everybody else work, and live in the "world" without your employers finding out...or how is it handled when they do find out? It would be very helpful is a teacher or a person who deals with kids or works with the state or has a high professional job answers...I don't mean that to sound tacky it is just closer to the area of answer I'm looking for. I have to be finger printed for the next step in my career and register an address...should I use a PO box #...is that allowed? PLEASE I'm begging for a mentor...I have felt so alone in this until I found this sight.

ok peach i say don't mix your personal life with you work that's not good at all to do and welcome to the group you will have alot of love and support here we are offenders and we are friends and family of offenders so you will get alot of help from both those who have been where your boyfriend is and where those who are like you and no one is really innocent if we where innocent we wouldn't be where we are and you should never be nervous about SO's we are like everyone else we just made a stupid mistake in life so treat us like you would treat anyone else and if you have to put an address put down a friend of family member to be safe but like i said before never mix your personal life with your work life and if anyone asks who he is just say his your man