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One week ago, Olympian Aly Raisman said she had been sexually abused by the former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar and, at the time, former teammate Gabby Douglas appeared to criticize her for coming forward and speaking up.
Now, Douglas herself is claiming she too was abused by Nassar.
When Raisman spoke out on Instagram about the victim shaming that persists when women come forward about sexual assault, Douglas responded on social media saying, “it is our responsibility as women to dress modestly and be classy. Dressing in a provocative/sexual way entices the wrong crowd.”
Douglas is now singing a new tune.
“I didn’t view my comments as victim shaming because I know that no matter what you wear, it NEVER gives anyone the right to harass or abuse you,” Douglas said in a statement. “It would be like saying that because of the leotards we wore, it was our fault that we were abused by Larry Nassar.
–Gymnast Gabby Douglas apologizes for insensitive tweet about sexual abuse–
“I didn’t publicly share my experiences as well as many other things because for years we were conditioned to stay silent and honestly some things were extremely painful. I wholeheartedly support my teammates for coming forward with what happened to them.”
On Friday, Douglas apologized about the comments she made to Raisman, saying, “i didn’t correctly word my reply & i am deeply sorry for coming off like i don’t stand alongside my teammates.”
In her Tuesday statement she adds, “I understand that many of you didn’t know what I was dealing with, but it is important to me that you at least know this. I do not advocate victim shaming/blaming in any way, shape or form! I will also never support attacking or bullying anyone on social media or anywhere else.
“Please forgive me for not being more responsible with how I handled the situation. To every other individual that commented to or about me hatefully, I apologize that I let you down too. I will never stop promoting unity, positivity, strength, being courageous and doing good instead of evil. I have learned from this and I’m determined to be even better.”
Over 130 women have come forward to accuse Nassar of sexually assaulting them. He was fired in 2015 after being with USA Gymnastics for almost 30 years. He is now facing 33 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the state of Michigan. He is currently in jail and facing multiple charges related to his abuse.