For years, Bailey Lorencen kept a dark secret – USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar abused her when she was a middle-school gymnast.
The tough questions she endured from Nassar's lawyers at a preliminary hearing, before he pleaded guilty to molestation, only strengthened her reluctance.
But as she watched scores of other victims speaking out at Nassar's sentencing last month, she realized she wanted to add her voice, and her name, to the chorus.
Lorencen's experience shows how the Nassar case, coming amid an ongoing national debate over sexual misconduct and the "#MeToo" movement, will likely help convince more abuse victims to come forward as their stories are viewed as credible, according to several experts in sexual trauma.
On Jan. 24, Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison, following an extraordinary hearing in Lansing, Michigan, in which more than 150 Nassar victims delivered emotionally wrenching statements about his actions.
In the Nassar case, many victims have accused USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, where Nassar also worked, of sweeping complaints about his behavior under the rug for years.
...