Gold Medal Gymnast Aly Raisman Now Leading "Army Of Survivors"
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BOCA RATON (CBSMiami) — Gymnast Aly Raisman has won six Olympic medals (three of them gold), but the spotlight of late, has been on her courageous advocacy as a survivor of sexual abuse.
One of more than 200 women who have come forward with stories of molestation by Larry Nassar, a USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician for more than two decades.
During a visit to South Florida for the KidSafe Foundation, which educates children and adults about how to start the conversation about sexual abuse, Raisman talked about how her life has changed since the moment she came forward about the abuse she endured and the hands of an adult she trusted to take care of her.
"I felt that when fans met me, they felt a different connection to me," said Raisman. "There are so many fans that come up to me every single day, about also being a survivor of abuse. It's been very eye-opening to me about how horrible the problem is."
Nassar will spend the rest of his life in prison. A parade of women gave gut-wrenching victim impact statements at his sentencing. Raisman, initially intending to stay quiet and provide only a written statement, changed her mind at the last minute, and did not hold back.
"You are so sick, I can't even comprehend how angry I feel when I think of you," she told him in court.
A two-time team captain, Raisman is now leading what she calls "an army of survivors," many of them fellow gymnasts, at the forefront of the "Me Too" movement.
"It was something that even a year ago no one was talking about," she said. "If someone came forward, they did not get the support that they deserved, and I think people are talking about it now, which is so important."
As difficult as it is, Raisman is on a mission to do just that. She has a new book out called "Fierce," and is committed to educating children and parents about the signs of sexual abuse. She recently launched "Flip the Switch," a campaign that teaches adults how to recognize signs that youth athletes are being sexually abused by trainers, doctors, coaches or other adults.
Raisman says the abuse by her own doctor, who she trusted to heal her, was so confusing, she didn't realize she was being victimized for years.
"The moment I realized that I was abused, I alerted my mom and USA Gymnastics right away, because it was something that's horrifying, and I realized that if it happened to me, that it was also happening to a lot of other people," said Raisman, who was first treated by Nassar when she was 15 years old. "But I didn't realize it right away, which is why we have to continue talking about it, because it's very confusing, and it's very hard when you're groomed and you trust someone. When someone is a doctor, it's very confusing. You don't think a doctor could ever hurt someone."
Raisman says she spoke to the FBI about Nassar after the 2016 games in Rio. She is now suing the US Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics. She claims both organizations could have done more to stop the former doctor's abuse, and that they put their "quest for money and medals" above her safety, and the safety of other athletes.
"It is disgusting and it makes me feel sick," she said. "It makes me feel horrible. If we had been educated, and the adults around us had been educated, they would have stopped Nassar a long time ago."
Raisman's representative told CBS Miami questions about the lawsuit were off limits as a condition of her interview. But during her statement at Nassar's sentencing in January, she focused her fury not just on the disgraced doctor, but on the organizations she says turned a blind eye to the complaints against him.
"Your abuse started 30 years ago, but that's just the first reported incident we know of," she said to him. "If, over these many years, just one adult had listened, and had the courage and character to act, this tragedy could have been avoided. I and so many others would have never, ever met you. Larry, you should have been locked up a long, long time ago."
Raisman also has a message for other victims of abuse, or as she puts it, survivors.
"To anyone that is suffering in silence, I would say, to know that you deserve to feel safe, to know that you deserve to feel heard, because abuse is never, ever OK," she said. "Go to an adult that you trust and ask questions. Make sure that you are safe, and if that adult isn't giving you the answers that you want, not giving you the attention, go to someone else, and don't stop until you get the answers. And always remember that you have a voice, and there is a lot of power in using your voice."
