Aly Raisman took to Twitter to give her thoughts about victim blaming in the Team USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal...
Words by Victoria Fell
Aly Raisman is a renowned athlete, who has three Olympic gold medals from two different games, two World Championship golds and was part of the ‘Fierce Five’ team at the London 2012 Olympics.
She also revealed last November in an interview with 60 Minutes that she was one of the 265 women that had accused the former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar of sexually abusing them. Nassar was sentenced to 40-175 years in prison in January of this year in a trial overseen by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina.
Raisman took to Twitter to say: ‘I was recently asked if gymnasts should continue wearing leotard. Leotards [are] not the problem. The problem is the many pedophiles out there & the adults who enable them. By saying clothing is part of the issue, [you] are victim shaming/implying survivors should feel it’s their fault.’
This was not the first time that Raisman has spoken up about the blame that victims of sexual abuse often face. In the same 60 Minutes interview, she told Jon Lapook: ‘Why are we looking at why didn't the girls speak up? Why not look at what about the culture? What did USA Gymnastics do, and Larry Nassar do, to manipulate these girls so much that they are so afraid to speak up?’
When LaPook clarified that she was angry, Raisman replied, ‘I am angry. I'm really upset because it's been-- I care a lot you know, when I see these young girls that come up to me, and they ask for pictures or autographs, whatever it is, I just-- I can't-- every time I look at them, every time I see them smiling, I just think-- I just want to create change so that they never, ever have to go through this.’