Carla Correa begins her post by explaining how she had always adored gymnastics. With this passion she had, once she heard that the “former American gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor” Larry Nassar, had sexually violated girls, she began to look deeper into the situation. More than 150 women stood up and testified that Nassar had violated them, in many cases during medical treatment. Whenever the former football coach Jerry Sandusky had been accused of sexually violating boys, many Americans were angered. However once the allegations about Nassar came out, not as many Americans had the same reaction. Well known American Olympic gymnasts spoke up about the abuse but no action was taken. Angela Povilaitis believes many women do not speak up about abuse or issues because of how they grow up in today's world and how speaking up is not an option: “We teach our girls and daughters to be too nice. To just ignore and put up with the uncomfortable situations, to stay silent when they should be allowed to be heard.” Action was taken immediately when the football coach violated the boys but as for the female gymnasts, it took time to make their voices be heard. They made this happen by more women speaking up about this abuse and used social media to get the word out. Once more well known and more cases had surfaced, the court took it into their own hands and allowed these victims to speak for as long as they wished.
This article was very interesting to me because as a former gymnast and athlete, it is known that in order to play the sport, you must trust the coaches and staff. As I progressed through gymnastics, soccer, and volleyball, I had different coaches and trainers, many of them being men. I had never experienced any form of sexual abuse or felt scared to be around them. Thinking about how anyone would take advantage of not only women but also younger girls is a sickening thought. Knowing that someone you have to go to regularly when you are hurt can sexually abuse you, causes these women to feel like they cannot speak up because they are a part of the staff. When you think of an employee that works for a well known college and for the Olympics, it would only make sense that they should be trusted and are handling situations accordingly. Nassar took advantage of too many women and not only scarred the victims, but other parents and athletes around the world. By letting children play a sport they love, parents want the best environment. This situation was not handled the same as when boys were abused by a former football coach. This is not emphasizing that women should be heard before men when it comes to this topic, but it is to raise awareness on how women are not believed or trusted at first just because we are women.
Source: The #MeToo Moment: For U.S. Gymnasts, Why Did Justice Take So Long?- Carla Correa
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