On September 15, 2021, almost a month after the closing of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games, world-renowned gymnast Simone Biles asked, “How much is a little girl worth?”
After watching the opening statements of Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman — the four survivors testifying in the most recent trial against the FBI agents and other organizations who handled the Larry Nassar abuse case — it was this quote that stuck with me.
“How much is a little girl worth?” – Simone Biles
While you may have heard about the sexual abuse case surrounding Larry Nassar and the US Gymnastics team members, as well as other gymnasts in 2015, you may not know much about the trial that is happening right now, which is just as important. This trial is focused on the FBI, US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and USA Gymnastics’ (USAG) involvement with Larry Nassar — particularly the fact that they turned a blind eye to Larry Nassar’s abuse.
In order to be informed about this case, here are some key facts about the trial that you should be aware of:
1. the FBI mishandled this case.
Plainly and simply, the FBI agents involved in this case did not handle it in the way they should have. The four testifying gymnasts stressed the fact that the FBI was aware of their abuse and failed to do anything about it for more than a year. The FBI buried their reports, disregarded their trauma and allowed Larry Nassar to continue abusing other gymnasts. Raisman revealed that they pressured her to accept a plea deal for Larry Nassar and Maroney revealed that they disregarded her claims and eventually, after an entire year, falsified her statements about her abuse (which she pointed out is illegal in and of itself). Instead of protecting the survivors — Biles, Maroney, Nichols and Raisman, as well as hundreds of other gymnasts — the FBI agents went out of their way to protect USOPC, USAG and Larry Nassar.
2. The USOPC, USAG and Michigan State University (where Nassar was also employed) allegedly concealed abuse by Nassar for over a year.
3. Due to a lack of action, hundreds of other gymnasts were abused by Nassar after the initial reports of abuse.
4. The survivors have been faced with years of trauma and PTSD after the abuse, which has only been exacerbated by the mishandling of the case.
5. The survivors still have questions about why the case was handled in the way it was. hopefully, their questions can be answered through this trial.
So, after taking in all of these facts, we must ask ourselves two things: What does this say about the bravery of the women who testified, and in the words of Simone Biles, “How much is a little girl worth?”
Undoubtedly, Biles, Maroney, Nichols, Raisman and countless other survivors are insanely powerful, brave and commendable women. Even after becoming sexual assault survivors and being denied protection from organizations that should have protected them — the FBI, USOPC, USAG — they continued to persevere, continued to compete and to this day, continue to fight.
Demonstrating the gymnasts’ perseverance in the face of trauma, Simone Biles continued to train for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after the 2015 trial. In reference to this she stated, “I worked incredibly hard to make sure that my presence could maintain a connection between the failures and the competition at Tokyo 2020. That has been proven to be an exceptionally difficult burden for me to carry.” Biles took it upon herself to shoulder this burden in order to represent herself and all of the other survivors affected by Nassar. Her presence was a powerful symbol. She is incredibly brave.
McKayla Maroney showed her bravery through her candid and passionate opening statement. Revealing specific trauma from her past and demanding her voice be heard, she gave a voice to all of the survivors who have been dismissed and who feel like their abuse has not been enough to warrant action.
Most pointedly, these gymnasts stressed that they want to protect other gymnasts, athletes and young girls from experiencing this same trauma. They are currently doing everything they can to enact safeguards that will protect girls from the abuse that they were not protected from. They have shown incredible bravery by subjecting themselves to a trial that likely brought up a lot of trauma, but they did it so that all of their perpetrators would be prosecuted, and so that all of the young girls following in their footsteps could pursue their dreams without fear.
We need to applaud these survivors’ bravery and rally for a change in this system because to answer Simone Biles’ question, our little girls are worth so much — so much more than blind eyes and incompetent authority figures. Our little girls deserve powerful role-models and outstanding opportunities. They deserve to follow their dreams relentlessly.