What’s in a word?
By Sandy . . . Long before condemnation of the term “sex offender” became so prevalent, many advocates, including those of us at NARSOL, were very uncomfortable with that term. That was the primary reason behind us making the decision, in 2016, to change our name from RSOL—Reform Sex Offender Laws—to NARSOL—National Assoc. for Rational Sexual Offense Laws.
Various terminology was used, tried out, and critiqued. Everybody knew who was meant when “sex offender” was used—someone who had been convicted of a sexual crime and was on a sex offender registry. “Registrant” became the most used when we simply meant someone on a registry, although we knew we needed more when writing or speaking to a wider audience because not everyone would understand what a “registrant” was. “Person convicted of a sexual crime” or “person with a sexual crime conviction” has the advantage of covering those who were innocent of the offense of which they were convicted as does “person on a sex offender registry,” but that one uses the objectionable term.
At some point, “person forced to register” came into limited use. With the abbreviation “PFR,” it was easy to use, and it is used exclusively among advocates. People outside the advocacy community, and many within it, don’t know what a “PFR” is.
I have never used the term, and I have strong objections to it.
Why? It perpetuates a victim mentality. A person forced to register is a person who has no control over his life or his future. He can do nothing to make his life better. When he is forced, he is a victim and will remain a victim as long as he sees himself as being forced.
People who are forced have no control. People who have no control are at the mercy of someone or something else. Those at someone else’s mercy can do nothing to help themselves. Nothing will change for them unless someone else changes it.
Rather than being forced, they are required, obligated, but they are choosing to comply with a law–no matter how wrong or how despised–that says they must register. They have control of their actions, their lives, and their futures. It’s just semantics, some will say, and yes, it is, but semantics matter. Words matter.
Many, many very active and capable advocates are required to register. They protest. They lobby. They speak out at legislative hearings. They write editorials. They volunteer with advocacy organizations and other worthy criminal justice reform movements. They serve on the boards of such organizations. They become NARSOL contacts and advocates and form NARSOL state groups.
They are not sitting and waiting for someone else to save them. They take the responsibility for their lives and their future, and they do all that they can to work for the betterment of people who are required to register and for the abolishment of the registry.
This reflects the opinion of the writer; it is not intended to convey the opinion of NARSOL as an organization.
