First accuser knew she had to speak up

Rachael Denhollander had the first word and the last one.

A former gymnast who became a lawyer and a coach, Denhollander told The Indianapolis Star in 2016 that Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar had molested her as a child.

She had just read a report in The Star about USA Gymnastics’ mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against coaches. But no one had yet spoken up about Nassar, who molested young athletes for about two decades while pretending the abuse was therapy.

The Star soon published an article about the doctor, based on reports from two former gymnasts. One remained anonymous. The other was Rachael Denhollander — front and center, all alone there.

In a Michigan courtroom Wednesday, before Nassar received a prison sentence of 40 to 175 years for multiple counts of criminal sexual misconduct, Denhollander, 33, spoke again. This time, she was not alone.

Over a seven-day sentencing hearing, 155 people had delivered victim-impact statements to the court. Denhollander became the 156th, the final voice in a gathering of survivors who grew stronger by the day.

She spoke for 36 minutes. When she was done, she received a standing ovation from the gallery of the courtroom.

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who presided over the case, called Denhollander the “fivestar general” for an army of abuse survivors.