All That Glitters is Not Gold

The Fierce Five after winning the Gold medal in London 2012 from NBC  

*Warning: This post contains language and footage discussing sexual abuse and assault*

The USA Women's Gymnastics team shines at every Summer Olympic games, claiming a multitude of medals and representing our nation with pride and grace. Pictured above are the "Fierce Five", a group of five women,  Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Kyla Ross, who won the team gold medal at the Olympics in London in 2012.  These girls were exuberant, funny, and won over the hearts of people across the country. We were able to see the hard work and dedication it took for them to get to the Olympics, however, we were not shown the dark surface that lied beneath their happy exterior.

Larry Nassar, former USA Gymnastics, and Michigan State University doctor, sexually abused over 156 women in the past thirty years, most of whom were children at the time of the assault. In height of the powerful "#Metoo"  movement, these women felt empowered to share their stories of sexual abuse in a seven-day marathon sentencing for the man who stole their childhoods. Detailing his actions, 156 women  shared that this "doctor" would use their pain, vulnerability, and passions for their sports in order for him to use their bodies for his own sexual pleasure.

The testimonies that stood out amongst the hundreds of stories were those of the "Fierce Five". They recounted their years and years of sexual abuse from Nassar, even being abused at the 2012 London Olympics, where they made history by winning the team gold medal. McKayla Maroney stated that the abuse by Nassar began when she was only thirteen years old and continued throughout her time as a gymnast. She states that his abuse occurred "... in London before my team and I won the gold medal, and It happened before I won my Silver Medal." To think that these women stood happily on the podium, hours after being sexually abused by their doctor, someone whom they trusted with their pain,  is mind-blowing and angering to people across the country.  Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and Jordyn Wieber also came forward with their stories, displaying courage and leadership in spite of the fear and heartbreak years of sexual abuse cases.


Simone Biles is a household name after becoming the most decorated American gymnast.  She took the 2016 Olympics by storm and won gold medals in the team, individual all-around, and vault events. However, she was also hit by the emotional hurricane of Larry Nassar, coming forward through a heartbreaking tweet, using the hashtag #metoo. People were shocked by her story, but she received endless support from her fans.

Larry Nassar, the doctor who abused all these women as young girls, has already received 60 years in prison on account of child pornography charges. He has pleaded guilty to seven accounts of criminal sexual abuse charges as well. The judge of this case, Rosemarie Aquilina, has been an advocate for the women affected by this evil man. She allowed for any woman who wanted to share her story time to do so. Afterward, she would give the survivors positive words of encouragement. Today, Larry Nassar was sentenced to 40-175 years in prison with Judge Aquilina stating "I just signed your death warrant". The horrendous acts of this vile man will never be forgotten. He will rot behind bars for the rest of his life, but the victims of his abuse are calling out other people who need to be held accountable for the abuse, including USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University officials. The President of Michigan State, Lou Anne Simon, resigned earlier today, finally taking responsibility for the inaction and ignorance that Michigan State showed to the victims.

Sexual Assault is not something we can ignore. With these horrific events and the #metoo movement, the time has come for people who have decided to take advantage of and hurt women to be brought to justice. The women affected by Larry Nassar are now able to start the healing process, however, it is never possible to fully erase the effects of childhood sexual abuse. In our country, out of every 1,000 rapes, 994 perpetrators will go free. The #Metoo movement and the strong women involved in the Nassar trial are pushing boundaries and making it known that sexual abuse and assault is unacceptable. no perpetrator should go free. Women are strong and they are a force to be reckoned with. The start of the war on sexual abuse has begun, and women will not rest until it is won.

I want to finish this post off with a gut-wrenching personal poem written by singer, Halsey. Spoken at the New York City Women's march, the speech details tells her own story of abuse that feels all too familiar for women across the United States and beyond. Time's up.