By the time his sentencing hearing wrapped up a few days ago, many of us had heard about the serial sex abuser Larry Nassar. Former USA Gymnastics doctor accused of molesting over 135 girls and previously charged with the possession of child pornography.
The names of his victims plastered all over every major news outlet: Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and the list continues…but what about those few girls who chose to speak out first?
Kyle Stephens, who says the molestation began for her at just 6 years old. She announced during her testimony that she had decided to go public to prove to herself that she had nothing to be ashamed of.
This is where the issue lies. Victims feeling like they are to blame for their abuse. Each of the 135+ victims has a story about the shame they experienced when they first announced their molestation.
According to ESPN, “‘No one did anything because no one believed me,’ Katie Rasmussen, who says she was abused by Nassar after being introduced to him through the gymnastics gym Twistars, said in her statement at the hearing. Former Olympic gymnast Jamie Dantzscher told the court that, when she first came forward in August 2016, she was attacked on social media. ‘They called me a liar, a whore and even accused me of making all of this up to get attention,’ she said. ‘When survivors came forward, adult after adult, many in positions of authority, protected you, telling each survivor it was OK, that you weren’t abusing them,’ Raisman said to Nassar, who she says began abusing her when she was 15. ‘In fact, many adults had you convince the survivors that they were being dramatic or were mistaken. This is like being violated all over again.'”
According to NBC News, USA Gymnastics issued a rather gut-wrenching statement, saying that after its private investigator interviewed Maggie Nichols [another gymnast molested by Nassar] and Raisman, it did not have a “reasonable suspicion” they had been molested by Nassar. USA Gymnastics admits it waited five weeks to alert law enforcement and didn’t notify Michigan State University, where he had his practice. Nichols later tweeted, “Your statements are hurtful. If you did not believe that I & others were abused then why pressure & manipulate us? WE WERE MOLESTED BY A MONSTER U ENABLED 2 THRIVE FOR DECADES. You are 100% responsible.”
This celebrated criminal case has been a huge step for victims across the country. Each victim has gone from the point of feeling personal and public shame to triumph when Nassar was sentenced just a few days ago. Each gymnast was publicly humiliated, called liars, and more for coming forward about Nassar, and yet so many of Nassar’s victims, in their impact statements during his sentencing hearing, said they considered their own culpability in their interactions with him. Former Michigan State volleyball player Jennifer Rood-Bedford told the courtroom, “My first reaction was to question myself. To blame myself.” Said Raisman to Nassar: “You made me uncomfortable, and I thought you were weird. But I felt guilty because you were a doctor, so I assumed I was the problem for thinking badly of you.” And each of these women was assured by Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina that she did not share the blame, was not at fault and should not feel remorse.
This sort of reassurance for victims comes far too rarely and shaming comes far too often.
Breqlyne,
Really great post that makes real the often undisclosed issue of victim shaming. It’s scary to think that we as a society continue to marginalize and discredit the stories of thousands of women… we truly have to do better. Overall though, great post that makes an often not talked about issue very present and issue. Victim shaming is a big deal and has to stop. No one wants to be ignored like Jamie Dantzscher.
I definitely like the layout that you have for your blog. It’s clean, neat, and has an aesthetic that goes well with the weighty, rather dark issue that you are dealing with.
You’ve certainly chosen a good topic with plenty of kairos at the moment. I think it would further help your case if you had mentioned how long he was sentenced for, or the fact that the judge in the case said, upon assigning the sentence, “I just signed your death sentence.”
The fact that the judge is a female further highlights the women empowerment aspect of this issue. Was the fact that the judge was female partially a factor in the fact that Nassar was sentenced so harshly, for 175 years? Perhaps, as part of this, you could also examine other recent high-profile sexual assault cases and look for a correlation between the gender of the judge and what kind of sentence was given. Certainly, this doesn’t allow for all the variables, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you found some correlation between the severity of the sentence and the gender of the judge.
That being said, I know that this is not the issue that you are dealing with for your blog post. Victim shaming is something that happens far too often-no matter what they are a victim of or what the victim’s gender, race, etc. are- and is made all the more prevalent by technology, where victims, once they come forward, are constantly in the public eye, scrutinized and analyzed by hundreds of media outlets while being doused in an onslaught assault from social media.
I remember once reading an article by a victim of rape, who found that the entire process of the rape kit and everything was almost as invasive as the rape itself. Then, at the end of it, she was sent home to deal with the issue alone, despite the fact that she had just suffered such intense emotional and physical trauma. This is indicative, I believe, of society’s discomfort with dealing with victims of sexual assaults and other such acts. People either want to analyze them like a bug under a microscope or sweep them under the rug, both of which are detrimental to victims and do nothing to stop this from happening in the future.
Hello Breqlyne!
I definitely agree with you that Larry Nassar is a disgusting human being and deserves every punishment he is sentenced to and more. This case should definitely be celebrated as a big step for the exposure of the rampant sexual exploitation in the country. However, the fact that Larry Nassar was allowed to thrive and enact his perverted fantasies is unacceptable. The fact that any system allows such rampant abuse should be a wake-up call for the nation to get its act together and prevent such peoeple from holding positions of power. It is sad to think that Nassar may just be the tip of iceberg, and how many victims have kept quiet to this day. Hopefully this case will inspire other victims to come forward and share their stories, so those responsible can be punished appropriately.
It’s always jarring to hear about another serial sex offender case. What these girls went through, and their bravery throughout it all is a testament to their resilient spirit.
P.S. Did you see the video of the judge throwing away Larry’s letter requesting that he be permitted to leave the courtroom? https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/01/24/judge-reads-larry-nassar-letter-tosses-bts-ip.cnn
This is very interesting in light of the recent #metoo movement. So often women are shamed before justice can be served. I’d be curious to know what percentage of reported sexual assaults are “made up for attention”.
This is a really powerful article, and was written very well. It makes me sad that when victims experience such physical and emotional events that they can so easily be denied and labeled, simply because of their status or gender. This is an issue is finally gaining the heavy focus it needs today in the media, and will hopefully ring throughout the real world. You used great detail, framing, and quotes, overall, great job.