MORE AND MORE WOMEN ARE SHARING THEIR STORIES OF SEXUAL
ASSAULT OR SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND A LOT OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS
INCLUDE PUBLIC FIGURES.
PEOPLE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
AND NOW WERE ALSO HEARING FROM OLYMPIANS.
OLYMPIC GYMNIST
MCKAYLA MARONEY SHARED HER STORY OF BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY
AN OLYMPIC DOCTOR AND THIS DOCTOR IS ACTUALLY CURRENTLY IN
PRISON.
HE'S ACTUALLY IN JAIL.
HE'S THE PERSON THAT BERNIE IS
ACCUSING OF ASSAULTING HER FOR YEARS, SINCE SHE WAS 13 YEARS
OLD.
SHE USED THEM ME TO SHARE HER STORY ON TWITTER AND HERE IS
A PORTION OF HER STATEMENT.
SHE SAID:
AGAIN, IT STARTED WHEN SHE
WAS 13 YEARS OLD.
TO GIVE YOU FURTHER CONTEXT, THERE HAVE BEEN ANOTHER OF WHAT
NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO HAVE COME FORWARD ACCUSING HIM OF SEXUAL
ASSAULT.
THEY WOULD SAY THAT DURING THESE PHYSICAL EXAMS, HE
WOULD PLACE HIS FINGERS INSIDE THEM AND FONDLE THEM IN WAYS
THAT WERE OBVIOUSLY INAPPROPRIATE AND SO HE IS
PLEADING NOT GUILTY TO THOSE CHARGES BUT WHEN IT COMES TO
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, HE HAS AGREED TO PLEAD GUILTY.
ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THIS STORY IS THAT HE HAS
HUNDREDS OF LAWSUITS AGAINST HIM SO THIS GUY IS A SERIAL ABUSER
AND LIKE ANNA SAID, HE HAS ARTIE PLED GUILTY AT LEAST TO THE
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES SO WE KIND OF SUPER THIS IS GOING AND
I DON'T THINK HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE MAKING IT UP AND MANY OF
MARONEY'S TEAMMATES HAD ALREADY ACCUSED HIM OF ABUSE WHILE THEY
WERE MINORS BUT EVEN SO, IT TOOK ALL OF THE OTHER WOMEN COMING
FORWARD BEFORE MARONEY.
YOU KNOW WHAT?
THERE'S NO REASON TO HIDE IT.
THERE'S NO REASON TO FEEL BAD
ABOUT IT.
HE SHOULD GO BAD ABOUT IT AND NOW SHE IS FINALLY
COMING FORWARD TO DOTS SHE IS A GOLD-MEDAL WINNER AND SO IS A
LITTLE BIT BIGGER SPOTLIGHT BUT JUST TO SEE THIS HAPPENING IN
REAL TIME, AS WOMEN ARE GROWING BOLDER AND GETTING ENCOURAGED BY
EACH OTHER TO STEP OUT AND FIGHT BACK, I DON'T WANT YOU TO
UNDERESTIMATE WHAT AN AMAZING TIME THIS IS DOTS IT'S REALLY,
IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES AS THE CULTURE IS
SHIFTING BECAUSE IT'S APPARENTLY AND AS WE SEE ONE STORY AFTER
ANOTHER, AMAZING WHAT MENUS TO GET AWAY WITH AND WE NEVER
TALKED ABOUT IT.
THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
IT WAS ALL BARRY.
YOU WOULD SEE LITTLE STORIES HERE THERE BUT WE HAD NO IDEA
HOW ENDEMIC IT WAS AND MAYBE WOMEN KNEW IT BETTER THAN MEN
DID BUT TO SEE UNFOLDING IN REAL TIME AS WOMEN KIND OF STAND UP
TOGETHER COLLECTIVELY AGO NO MORE, IT'S A WONDERFUL TO SEE
DOCTOR CITIZEN WAS ALSO INCREDIBLE AND DEPRESSING AT THE
SAME TIME IS BECAUSE OF THIS ME TO CAMPAIGN, THERE HAVE BEEN SO
MANY WOMEN THAT I KNOW PERSONALLY SPEAKING UP AND
SHARING STORIES THAT I DIDN'T PREVIOUSLY KNOW ABOUT AND IT IS
JUST HEARTBREAKING TO KNOW THE NUMBER OF WOMEN THAT WE ALL KNOW
THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS AND I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE
ME TO CAMPAIGN A LOT BECAUSE THERE ARE WOMEN WHO SHARE SOME
OF THE MOST HEINOUS STORIES LIKE WHAT MARONEY IS TALKING ABOUT,
BEING FONDLED, SEXUALLY ASSAULTED LIKE THAT AND SO WHEN
I THINK ABOUT THINGS THAT I HAVE GONE THROUGH, I FEEL LIKE
IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO SHARE THE STORIES THAT I'VE
EXPERIENCED, RIGHT?
I HAVE SHARED THE STORY OF THE GUY WHO WAS RIDING HIS BIKE AND
HE WENT AROUND, HE SLAPPED MY BUTT AND THEN RODE AWAY LAUGHING
AND THEN HE CAME AROUND AGAIN TO DO IT AGAIN AND THEN THAT WAS
WHEN I DEFENDED MYSELF AND I KICKED THEM OFF THE BIKE AND SO
I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME THAT I HAD EVER EXPERIENCED
ANYTHING LIKE THAT AND THEN I REMEMBERED SOMETHING ELSE THAT
I'VE NEVER TALKED ABOUT AND I NEVER FELT SHAME BECAUSE IT
HAPPENS.
YOU HEAR WOMEN TALK ABOUT, I FELT SHAME WHEN IT
HAPPENED BUT I ACTUALLY FEEL SHAME NOW BECAUSE WHEN IT
HAPPENED, I JUST THOUGHT OF IT AS, THAT IS JUST THE WAY THINGS
GOING TO HAVE TO ACCEPT IT AND I FEEL EMBARRASSED BY THAT.
I'M
NOT NAMING ANY NAMES BUT I REMEMBER TALKING TO YOU ABOUT IT
SO YOU WILL REMEMBER IT DOTS YOU AND I WENT TO A PARTY FOR A
PRETTY BIG YOUTUBE OR.
I REMEMBER NOW.
AND THERE WERE A NUMBER OF BIG YOUTUBE OR IS THERE, ONE
WHICH I WAS A FAN OF AND WE TOOK A PICTURE TOGETHER AND AS WE
WERE TAKING THAT PICTURE, HE THOUGHT IT WAS, BY THE WAY, MY
POOR BOYFRIEND AT THE TIME WAS TAKING THE PHOTO OF A STUDY THAT
IT WAS COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE TO GRAB MY BUTT AS A STORY WAS THAT
PICTURE IS BEING TAKEN.
AND SO IT'S WEIRD BECAUSE OF THE TIME I
DIDN'T LIKE IT BUT I JUST KIND OF PUT IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD AS
THIS IS JUST THE WAY THINGS GO.
THIS IS HOW PEOPLE TREAT YOU
SOMETIMES.
THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT.
AND THAT KIND
OF STUFF HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND I ACTUALLY FIND MYSELF LUCKY
THAT I HAVEN'T HAD TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THE EXTREME SITUATIONS
THE OTHER WOMEN HAVE HAD TO GO THROUGH BUT EVERY WOMAN HAS GONE
THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YOU KNOW?
YEAH.
MAYBE WITH THIS MOVEMENT IT IS GOING TO GET A
LOT HARDER BECAUSE IF YOU ARE A GUY AND YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT
SEXUALLY HARASSING A WOMAN OR ASSAULTING THEM, ARE YOU SURE IS
NOT GOING TO BE PUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA IMMEDIATELY?
YOU BETTER
THINK TWICE AND IF YOU THINK THAT THAT IS A BAD THING, I
HAVE A BAD NEWS FOR YOU.
YOU MAY BE THE BAD GUY.
I THINK IT'S A GREAT THING THAT WOMEN ARE FIGHTING BACK.