August 6, 2020, 4:15 pm
The following (very technical) study (from what I could understand of it) discusses the harm caused by the “sex offender” label.
Assembling the Chimeric Sex Offender
It contains a lot of terms of art, which make it a difficult read, but if you can extrapolate the message from the context, it’s a worthwhile read. Here are some excerpts:
Across societies labels rarely are met with the degree of contempt and hatred that has become inherent in the label of “sex offender.” Indeed, few, if any, labels receive the negative reaction reserved for those baring the label of sex offender
Not all those believed to be sex offenders have actually committed such an offense—in many cases it is assumed. For those who are so labelled, whatever their actual acts or persuasion, albeit assumed, actual, convicted, or charged, they are always thought to offend the norms of society and, in response, are left in a perpetual state of being “broken,” inferior, and in need of both “repair” and “retribution”
the sex offender bears signifiers tied to perceptions of their criminality, real or assumed. The signifiers attached to sex offender’s bodies are nevertheless discreditable. Whether in the community or in prison, the sex offender is always awaiting their identity to be exposed, because the sex offender is not accepted in society, will never be accepted, and constantly must strive to “adjust,” even hide, their identity if they are ever to have some moments with some sense of belonging or acceptance in society,
ever to feel outside the scope of the “abnormal” in a community.
Inclusion in the sex offender group equates all those so labelled to the most hideous of offenses, suggesting all have engaged in said acts despite the lack of truth behind such a claim.
The post Assembling the Chimeric Sex Offender appeared first on Florida Action Committee.
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Author: Florida Action Committee
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