| But you should try to discover the truth about them, or reserve judgement. The original dire presumed meaning of "sex offender" has been legally castrated (bad joke) in many states as shallow thinkers seize on the definition and its National implications to CHEAPLY hang any behavior THEY consider objectionable. The most egregious misapplication (in my opinion) is "public urination", that is, being caught doing it by the wrong person, or if they consider you an unperson. Used to brand the homeless and turn them into national criminals by following them around with a camera. Or human traditions under attack. A mixed group of adults and minors caught skinny dipping in the wild by the Wrong Deputy is another example. They'll nail the oldest and fill the younger with crushing guilt, if they are friends. Consensual sex between teenagers is another. It's the ultimate glass-house throw stone legal abomination. And one or both gets the Scarlet Letter into their young adult years. Talk about a suicide trigger! ___ https://www.hrw.org/report/2007/09/11/no-easy-answers/sex-of... "Most people assume that a registered sex offender is someone who has sexually abused a child or engaged in a violent sexual assault of an adult. A review of state sex offender registration laws by Human Rights Watch reveals that states require individuals to register as sex offenders even when their conduct did not involve coercion or violence, and may have had little or no connection to sex. For example: "At least five states require registration for adult prostitution-related offenses;[108]* "At least 13 states require registration for public urination; of those, two limit registration to those who committed the act in view of a minor;[109] "At least 29 states require registration for consensual sex between teenagers;[110] and "At least 32 states require registration for exposing genitals in public;[111] of those, seven states require the victim to be a minor.[112] |