By Elizabeth Weill-Greenburg<\/p>\n
Seth (not his real name) describes himself as an outcast as a child. \u201cI was the fat kid with glasses that got picked on ever since first grade,\u201d said Seth, now 40, who grew up in New Jersey, where he still lives. \u201cI was always a socially awkward kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1993, when he was 14, Seth said, he sexually experimented with a friend who was 10. The younger boy claimed Seth had threatened to hurt him if he didn\u2019t comply, an allegation Seth denies. The boy told his family, who then confronted Seth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t even know it was against the law,\u201d Seth told The Appeal, who said he at first denied that anything had occurred between himself and the friend because he feared \u201cthe stigma of being gay.\u201d<\/p>\n
In September 1993, Seth was adjudicated as a delinquent with aggravated sexual assault. He was sentenced to probation and required to receive counseling.<\/p>\n
The following year, his situation grew more grave when he was added to New Jersey\u2019s newly established sex offender registry. Under the state\u2019s registry law, known as Megan\u2019s Law, he could be removed from the registry if he remained offense-free for 15 years and could demonstrate that he wasn\u2019t a threat to others.<\/p>\n
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