Dear Convicted Sex Offender (Finally)

While I’m sorry that you added more victims to your list, I’m glad that finally at least one of them had the courage to speak the truth and land you on the Sex Offender Registry.
I’m glad that the laws have changed in 41 years and your actions have a bigger penalty now. I’m glad that victims are taken more seriously now……. I’m very glad that schools must now report suspicions of sexual abuse rather than chalking it up as a vivid imagination.

You were my (step) dad and I was only 6 years old. Your punishment for me peeing the bed was way beyond what any rational parent would do. I had an accident and instead you exposed me to tons of pain and trauma. Looking back now, my behavior a couple years later should have been signs that would suggest I was sexually assaulted in my past. No normal 9 year old would try to be sexual with his/her friends at such an age. Nor would a 9 year take his mom’s bras and panties.

At times, I wake up from reliving you physically abusing my mom, twin sister, and me while you had the drunken rage. Sometimes I relive the memories from the year and half of abuse & i’m very fortunate that my mom (for other reasons) divorced you. And yes sometimes, I used to blame myself for the sexual abuse. I wonder if you would’ve done the same thing to my twin sister IF I lived at home fulltime (rather than just the weekends) as I was in a foster home then.

Did your actions result in me being a gay adult? Did your actions cause me to realize I’m transgendered?

Fortunately, your actions didn’t cause me to be suicidal, have a drug addiction, have a criminal record, or repeat your actions. Fortunately too, you showed me to limit my alcohol consumption so I never became a drunk.

While you destroyed my life and caused me to resent authority, I’ve had the inner strength and love of friends (a decade later) to love me and mold as a stronger adult.

41 years later, I have 1 thing to say — I HATE YOU!