Wednesday night during the 2018 ESPY Awards more than 140 former USA gymnasts and survivors took the stage to accept the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Olympian Aly Raisman led these courageous women, as they stood in solidarity. These women were all sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar..
156 survivors testified in the Nassar trial.
- Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.
- Earlier this year, Nassar was given an additional 40 to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual assault of minors.
- Additionally, Nassar received another 40 to 125 years in prison for three more counts of sexual assault.
- Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast turned lawyer was the first woman that came forward publicly in September 2016. It was Denhollander's story in the Indianapolis Star that convinced dozens more to break their silence.
Raisman referred to the group of wo men as "sister survivors". Sarah Klein, spoke and said was Nassar's first victim roughly 30 years ago, called it "a portrait of survival."
Klein said "Speaking up and speaking out is not easy. Telling our stories of abuse over and over and over again, in graphic detail, is not easy. We're sacrificing privacy. We're being judged and scrutinized, and it's grueling, and it's painful — but it is time."