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The Voice

BUVoice.com

The Voice

BUVoice.com

The Voice

Army of women needed to bring down one man

     Justice is about to be served to Larry Nassar. A total of 156 women made a statement about Larry Nassar, either to his face or read for them. These women are being known as the “wrong army of women” Nassar has pissed off. Among them, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Mattie Larson, Emma Ann Miller, Jessica Smith, Taylor Cole, and many, many more gave strong, powerful statements about how Larry has forever impacted their lives. Many of these girls cried through their statements, because it was finally time for them to speak their mind. These women have been through so much abuse in their lives by someone they thought they could trust: a doctor. These women were so young that they didn’t realize how wrong it was of him to do what he was doing to them.

     This whole time, Michigan State had done nothing to stop him when women came to accuse him of sexual abuse. Why? Because just like Nassar, Michigan State didn’t have any balls to admit what was actually going on. The fact that he abused 156 women is appalling, even more so that it took that significant of a number for him to finally get prosecuted. He had originally plead guilty to ten counts of sexual assault for abusing young girls. What was originally going to span over three days, turned into seven because of how many women wanted their voice heard and to stand up the man who ruined their lives; the first to do this was Kyle Stephens, who made the phone call to the police that got Nassar arrested in the first place. She was only six years old when Nassar first abused her. Six years old. Her parents didn’t believe her when she was twelve and told them that he would masturbate in front of her.

     It took a literal army of women to bring down this man, and all because no one wanted to believe young girls. What shocks me is that no one would believe a younger child. Children don’t know about lying until they reach their teens. Even then, why would a young teenager want to make up a story about someone touching them inappropriately or abusing them or even masturbating in front of them. It seriously disturbs me that some of these parents did not believe their children, just because this monster was a doctor.

     There have been so many movements lately about reporting sexual assault, like the “Me Too Movement” or the “Time’s Up Movement.” We are entering an era where it is wrong to not believe someone when they say they have been sexually harassed or assaulted. We need to start listening closely to these women’s stories and how it’s affecting them. What if this was your sister? Your mother, aunt, daughter, cousin, even your girlfriend? Society has made a stigma where women should be afraid to tell someone they have been abused because no one has wanted to believe them. This stigma is slowly starting to fall and it needs to continue that way. The army of women who spoke against Nassar are what people need to look towards and we need to tell them that we believe them. He may be getting a long sentence, but there are plenty of other “Larry Nassars” out there. There’s more “Brock Turners,” more “Harry Weinsteins.” It’s time for it to be put to an end.

     I’m glad Nassar has a sentence of 40-175 years in jail. He deserved it. He impacted so many women and changed the way they could’ve grown up. They could’ve had normal childhoods, normal adulthoods. But he decided to take those away. And now he will forever be punished for it. Time’s Up Larry.

Sierra is a senior English Literature major. She is an assistant Op/Ed Editor for The Voice.

 

Aly Raisman, Olympic Gymnast and one of the victims of Larry Nassar

 

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