"That's an interesting statement, leavingwt."
"Please can you expand on it, for those of us who don't know? In what way are they treated differently?"
Many disfellowshipped persons are sympathetic characters. They are pro-WT, but unable (for whatever reason) to abide by all of the rules. They may attend some meetings. The congregation remains hopeful that such ones will return to Jehovah.
However, when a person acknowledges that he doesn't agree with the WT organization's teachings, he becomes an apostate. There is no excuse of sympathy for those who publicly disagree with the WT. Such individuals are hated, and many JWs look forward to when such ones will be destroyed at Armageddon.
Sounds like a cult.