the twins’ mom
@_kristenerika_
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As for me, I know that my vindicator lives. - Job 19:25
Joined July 2009
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I am in awe of my sons’ courage. It was not an easy decision, but they have bravely chosen to lead the way toward transparency, accountability, and change in the sport they love by telling their story publicly.
#lightdisinfects
#athletealliance
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Unfortunately the courtroom sketch artist drew me like my arms grow out of my neck. But the important part of this image is my sons, who have their heads between their knees because they are trying to avoid puking or passing out because they are so afraid.
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Sexual misconduct in all-star cheer has been excused, ignored, and facilitated by our event producer and “governing body” (as well as gym owners, athletes, and even parents) for way too long. This mama has had enough.
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Current and former athletes who are speaking up about physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in cheer — my sons and I stand with you.
Six months ago, my boys began to speak up about the sexual exploitation/abuse that they had experienced as cheerleaders. (1/9)
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For nearly two years my boys suffered consequences for telling the truth about Jerry Harris. The very least the adult influencers who chose to vouch for him can do is face the music and stop deleting comments and blocking those who criticize them.
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Sitting through the 7 hour sentencing hearing and reading their own impact statements was their decision. It was really hard to do, though, and was made harder knowing that 75+ people had written letters and made videos supporting their perpetrator.
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Who you choose to remain loyal to is between you and God; it’s not my business. But when you vouch for a person in a court proceeding — a person who has real, live victims — you need to understand that your actions have consequences
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You are making it more difficult for any victim of any perpetrator to speak up. Especially if you’re any type of influencer (and that includes coaches and parents) you are reinforcing the culture that created the problem in the first place.
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This is a portion of a statement today from Jerry’s attorney, Todd Pugh.
This is not just a Jerry Harris problem, it is an all star cheer problem.
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I want to talk about an important but rarely discussed dimension to the current sex abuse crisis in all-star cheerleading: the fact that LGBT youth are particularly vulnerable to sexual assault, exploitation, and abuse. (1/10)
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@cheerUPDATES
Gym owners and parents sticking their heads in the sand is part of the reason our sport has this problem. Children should not watch episode 5 *alone*. On the other hand, I believe that watching it with parents present can stimulate very important conversations within families.
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What Jerry did was not “high school drama”. Take a look at my CHILD in his first DMs with Jerry in 2018. My son didn’t even know what nudes were! He was a BABY. THIS WAS ABUSE! It was pedophilia! And he was not the only 13 year old Jerry targeted.
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If anyone has the right to be angry about this it is Sam and Charlie and me. And we’re NOT. Kaitlyn has been a supporter of SA abuse survivors from day one. Stop attacking her.
A wrong is a wrong, but I should never be receiving death threats. Beyond saddened and upset that me celebrating my hard work means that I “should die” from an innocent mistake I truly did not know about.
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"If an institution, any institution, creates or fosters a culture of abuse, that institution deserves to be condemned and maybe even dissolved." - Manish Shah (Judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of IL) as he handed down Jerry Harris' 12 yr sentence
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Gym owners and parents sticking their heads in the sand is part of the reason our sport has this problem. Children should not watch episode 5 *alone*. On the other hand, I believe that watching it with parents present will stimulate critically important conversations.
Happening Now.
Coaches & Parents sounding the alarm over
#CheerNetflix
Season 2.
The screen capture below was shared by a Gym Owner cautioning parents of the appropriateness of the show for young or unsupervised athletes.
Have you watched this with your child / athlete?
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“These boys did not have to put their faces and names behind this…they did it because they want to ensure not one more child is harmed…if them coming forward can help someone else, they were dead set on doing it."
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“You cannot produce a show about cheerleading, reality or otherwise, without colliding head on with the ugly systemic issues the sport faces on nearly every level. When you shine a spotlight on an industry like cheerleading, the cockroaches are bound to scatter into view.”
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As yet another story of abuse and cover up emerges in our sport, please remember that it is not ☕️ and we don’t need to get out the 🍿. Yes, it is good for light to be shone in dark places, but our attitude ought to be one of honoring the courage of survivors, not rubbernecking.
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Please take care of yourself and don’t feel obligated to watch episode 5! “The episode may be upsetting for those still processing their own trauma or who never felt that they had the support they needed to speak out, so viewer discretion is advised.”
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Jada is an exceptional athlete. She is exceptionally articulate. One way in which she is not exceptional? Like so many, she has been chewed up and spit out by a system that demands everything from young people yet sometimes doesn’t give them a modicum of respect in return.
It’s necessary for me to speak up bc silence is why athletes are so susceptible to abuse. We have been trained through fear to be silent and accept what is dished out, so we don’t lose what we love and sacrifice for.
#ExistLoudly
#mentalhealth
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We as a community need to continue to keep our eye on the goal: policies and a CULTURE that support the physical, mental, and emotional health of *every* athlete. (9/9)
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The momentum is on the side of those who are shining light in the dark corners of our sport!
WE CAN DO HARD THINGS, cheer world! Speak up if you know about misconduct or abuse of any kind! Be vocal in your support of survivors! (8/9)
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I’ve said it before and I will say it again today:
@ssamnicolas111
and
@CharlesH_28
— you are the most courageous people I know. I am so proud to be your mom!
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Here’s what we don’t need: adult egos vying for recognition while our sport is in crisis. There are a number of us who have been shouting into the wind about athlete safety in all-star for years. It is infuriating and exhausting. The price is steep. But it is not about us!
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Hey
@USASFcheer
and
@usacheer
are you doing anything about this?! This horrendous site includes a message board where users fantasize about raping and murdering underage all-star athletes and instructions on how to locate athletes by using their team and public event schedules.
On Friday I was made aware of a website featuring pictures of cheerleaders being offered up for sexual exploitation. Several of the photos are faked into explicit graphic images.
This has all been reported to NCMEC & the FBI. SCC has been invaluable in this process
@joinscc
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As my son Sam said “If no one speaks out, nothing will change.” (5/9)
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A few months ago our haters were openly spewing ugliness at us via social media and DMs. Now they just give us side eye and whisper about us (like the cowards that they are).
Thankfully, more and more brave voices are speaking out to tell their stories. (7/9)
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The amount of hate, victim-shaming, downright lies, and character assassination that my boys faced, much of it from adults and so-called “friends”, was devastating.
Then the truth came to light and it turns out that *we* were not the ones who were cancelled. (6/9)
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Survivors took a huge risk and sacrificed their privacy and dignity to bring attention to these issues. They did it for the sake of other athletes and for the sake our sport as a whole. They did it in hopes that their stories would provoke our community to demand change. 1/6
USA Today exposed the fact that USASF is grossly mishandling abuse reports & nobody is talking about it. I assume it's bc of the holidays, but Varsity relies on us not speaking up, so here we go.
Here are the highlights for you:
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At the time they got horrible backlash — people told them that no one would believe them, that they would be canceled, and that they would lose all their friends if they didn’t shut up.
When we first started speaking out, (2/9)
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we didn’t know if anyone was going to back us up. No action had been taken on the reports I’d made and the FBI wasn’t involved yet.
As far as we knew, it was going to be our word against a famous perpetrator’s (and he had thousands of loyal fans on his side). (3/9)
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But we also knew we were telling the truth and the boys felt passionately that they had to speak on their own behalf, as well as on behalf of others who had experienced the same abuse but couldn’t speak for themselves. (4/9)
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I cannot wait for the day when all-star cheer is designated a sport so our athletes can enjoy these protections. In the meantime, thankful to those who worked long and hard on this very important legislation.
*BREAKING* The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic & Amateur Athletes Act is now law. Thank you to the athletes & courageous survivors who shared stories. This brave activism inspired a law that ensures future generations of athletes can train, compete & succeed w/o fear of abuse.
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This is the right outcome. My family is profoundly grateful to the the US Attorney's office; the FBI;
@IndyMarisaK
and
@TriciaNadolny
; and our attorneys
@johnmanly
,
@SG_Klein
, and
@sauldinho
for their tireless pursuit of truth and justice.
Jerry Harris will remain behind bars. A federal judge ruled Friday that the 21-year-old 'Cheer' star poses "a significant danger to the community."
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Our family (and the entire cheer community) owes you and
@TriciaNadolny
a debt of gratitude,
@byMarisaK
. THANK YOU for your tireless efforts to shine a light on what others have worked so hard to keep in the dark.
The second season of Netflix’s “Cheer” is out today. Episode five includes interviews with me and
@TriciaNadolny
. More importantly, it shares the stories of Charlie and Sam, twin brothers who were the first to come forward with allegations against Jerry Harris.
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This podcast ought to be *required listening* for coaches/gym owners. Makayla talks about how her accident and its aftermath almost felt like a relief compared to the anxiety and body image issues caused by all star cheer.
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@CheerFessions1
We are not “all at fault”. Minors, whether they are victims or bystanders, are never at fault. Protecting athletes is the job of adults.
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Unless you are elevating the voices of the athletes who have been impacted by abuse and unselfishly cooperating with other advocates, then you are actually *exploiting* and *further victimizing* survivors, not leading change.
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This is one more reason why
@andyxsimon
's work is important for the health of our sport. Andy being permitted to post his videos without harassment from
@USASFcheer
allows parents and fans to focus on hyping up and encouraging the teams that are on mat.
A thing happened last night that I think is relatable for all cheerleaders right now…it made me sad but there’s a lesson here for everyone, so here we go.
A thread:
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Do the right thing,
@USASFcheer
.
Please
@USASFcheer
work with me here. I was an athlete for 4 years and have been doing this since 2016. I’m not asking for other special privileges, access, or money. I can even pay a licensing fee if that’s what you want. Make me a partner that’s also allowed to film at
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Not just “your truth” but THE truth. 💜
Charlie and Sam… THANK YOU for your courage and for coming forward with your TRUTH.
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In order for the culture in this sport to change, we have to allow individuals and organizations the opportunity to course correct. From what I understand, Cheer Athletics has made a meaningful commitment to change and I, for one, commend them for it.
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I love you and
@CharlesH_28
more than I can possibly express and can’t wait to watch you guys emerge from this challenge.
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Not my accomplishment but
@CharlesH_28
’s and
@ssamnicolas111
’s. They sacrificed their privacy and dignity for the sake of other athletes and for the sport. They paid (and continue to pay) a price that few understand in order to start the change that cheer has needed for years.
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@DanaStorms
Yeah, it reminds me a lot of the statement from Jerry’s representative on September 14, 2020.
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“The choice to come forward and report can be a life sentence for survivors too.” This is so, so true.
Although I can only imagine how relieved Nassar’s survivors are today, there is no such thing as “return to normal” after reporting abuse. 💔
It's over. MI Supreme Court declined to hear Larry's appeal.
Almost six years after I filed the police report, it's finally over.
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Jada Wooten (
@jadawooten_
) is another remarkable young leader in our sport. Please join me in nominating her for the 2023
@cheerUPDATES
30 Under 30 Most Influential People in Cheerleading.
Jada is an exceptional athlete. She is exceptionally articulate. One way in which she is not exceptional? Like so many, she has been chewed up and spit out by a system that demands everything from young people yet sometimes doesn’t give them a modicum of respect in return.
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Just so we are clear: Acting/speaking in opposition to a child’s efforts to speak out about abuse = Choosing the side of the perpetrator.
@defendsurvivors
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A few clarifications regarding today’s Sportico article: The settlement was not secret. I mentioned the fact that the civil case had settled on a podcast last fall, days after it was finalized.
SCOOP: The cheerleading sex-abuse lawsuit filed in 2020 against Jerry Harris by two Texas twins–Sam & Charlie–who named
@VarsitySpirit
and
@USASFcheer
as defendants, quietly settled last fall. The outcome is full of paradoxes. I unpack them in
@Sportico
:
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🔫 👑What a weekend! 💜 Royal Guns and Royalty had *beautiful* hits both days. 💜 So much love for these athletes, coaches, and parents. We’ll see all y’all next weekend at NCA! 👑🔫
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So much love, respect, and gratitude for our fearless advocate
@SG_Klein
. It is tough to move through life with your eyes as wide open to these things as Sarah’s are. The work that she and her colleagues (especially
@sauldinho
) do is so important.
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@CheerFessions1
To my knowledge the last cheer-related federal indictment was Jerry in December 2020. Fingers crossed that the perpetrators in the recent civil cases will be prosecuted criminally but it hasn’t happened yet.
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🙌🏻 Amazing what happens when a couple of mothers won’t shut up about athlete safety. 🙌🏻
That ineligible list had no new additions for what...years? And now there's been 4 in a month. 3 of them added within days of each other.
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Jada is a tough cookie. She is not asking for special exceptions or handouts. All she is asking is that she, and the other athletes not selected, be treated with dignity and provided with clear communication. This is not an unreasonable expectation.
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💜🔫 After an amazing weekend in Atlanta, Royal Guns is Summit bound! 🔫💜
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Those same leaders/influencers also need to lead the way to a new cheer culture that supports the appropriate, healthy mentorship relationships between coaches and athletes that gay youth need so badly.
Please -- let's not let this crisis go to waste. (9/10)
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but what we really need is gay men in positions of leadership and influence in this sport to step forward and say "NO MORE!" to sexual contact between coaches/adult athletes and minors. (8/10)
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Whether you’ve been banging the drum for 20 yrs, 2 yrs (like me), or 2 wks, if your focus is on retweets, clicks, consulting contracts, and/or being recognized as the OG voice in this space, then you are part of the problem.
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For the underage LGBT victim of sexual assault/exploitation, telling anyone (parents, coaches, law enforcement) what has happened to them requires coming out, which is something that many victims are just not able or ready to do. Abusers know this and they exploit it. (2/10)
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One of the few silver linings of the past several months has been the opportunity to get to know
@SG_Klein
. She has alchemized her own pain into power and she and her colleagues are making it possible for my sons to do the same. 🙏🏻
My TED talk is up!! Please share it- maybe it will help a survivor at home right now to know that they are not alone, and they too can do hard things and come out the other side.
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Let's use this crisis, as horrible as it is, as an opportunity to rebuild our sport in a way that will support the wellbeing of athletes for generations to come. (10/10)
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Quality investigative journalism *costs money*. This team has been working tirelessly to bring the truth about our sport to light for well over a year. Please consider supporting them by subscribing -- doing so costs less than a Starbuck's drink.
Cheer choreographer Brandon Hale livestreamed on Facebook the aftermath of a violent incident in Mexico in which he allegedly pushed his boyfriend off a third-floor walkway.
A cheer gym owner and former coach paid $5,000 to get Hale released from jail.
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@DanaStorms
At the very least you keep quiet if you choose to stay in relationship with someone who is “like family”. You don’t go on Entertainment Tonight, Extra, E!, etc., drawing attention to yourself! You cannot “support survivors” and hold out hope they are lying at the same time.
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@___iihseru
I honestly don’t care about Gabi’s personal relationship with Jerry. What I do find pretty gross, however, is her using the case to draw attention to herself and using her platform to broadcast the implication that there’s a chance he’s innocent. He’s not.
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“…the boys’ mother explains that her sons wanted to speak publicly about the alleged abuse to communicate that victims of sexual abuse do not need to hide their faces in shame…a vital message that will be heard loudly and clearly as viewers tune in…”
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and how to come out to parents and loved ones.
An awful lot of boys in this sport are choosing option one and the consequences are *tragic*. Depression, crippling anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, (5/10)
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Background checks are important but they don’t guarantee the safety of athletes.
I was telling my husband about a
#childsexabuse
case that I was prosecuting, and he asked me "Does he have any history?" --- and I realized this is something we need to be talking about. 🧵 1/
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This whole thread is heartbreakingly true but especially this: “Groomers seek exploit every facet of good in a person. Love, trust, compassion, empathy; every aspect of good in a person is exploited by groomers.”
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Gyms that are not equipped with an AED are taking a negligent risk with their athletes’ lives, there are no two ways about it. Thank God this athlete is alive — the outcome might have been different if it were not for quick access to the right equipment.
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Jada’s apparel collection with Varsity is called
#existloudly
. This is an easy slogan to wear on a sweatshirt but the cost is high to actually live it out. Speaking up is scary and lonely and exhausting. All too often the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.
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As a parent I am grateful for Jada’s voice and her uncompromising advocacy for athlete mental health. I hope that Varsity will continue to give her a platform in our sport.
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enforcement means involving their parents or guardians.
So many LGBT youth who are victims of sexual abuse are faced with an excruciating choice: (1) suffer the emotional and mental aftermath of sexual abuse in silence and isolation or (2) be robbed of control over when (4/10)
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Every journalist and attorney working the Rockstar et al case owes a debt of gratitude to
@byMarisaK
and
@TriciaNadolny
.
Two years ago, ace USA TODAY journalists
@byMarisaK
and
@TriciaNadolny
wrote a series of articles on sex abuse in competitive cheer — and how the authorities have at times mishandled those complaints. In fact, the amended lawsuit refers explicitly to their reporting.
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If anyone has the right to be angry about this it is Sam and Charlie and me. And we’re NOT. Kaitlyn has been a supporter of SA abuse survivors from day one. Stop attacking her.
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suicidal thoughts -- all of these things are common among the survivors who have reached out to my sons. I literally lay awake nights worrying about the boys who are navigating this very difficult road all alone.
Our sport is facing a crisis and it is, in part, (6/10)
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@lisadseye
@blaqoups
DARVO: Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim and Offender. It happens every single time and I can tell you from first hand experience that it is absolutely devastating.
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because we now have multiple generations of victims who became perpetrators who created more victims who then became perpetrators.
Moms like
@DanaStorms
and me can talk about this until we are blue in the face, (7/10)
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Brave survivors have been reporting sex abuse in cheer for years and to say that all this started with Scott Foster is to ignore the voices of those survivors and diminish the significance of the risk they took when they spoke out.
NEW: Sometimes, amid the many
#Varsity
lawsuits, it’s easy to forget where all this started — w/allegations of sex abuse by Scott Foster at
#RockstarCheer
. Well, we didn’t forget. Last night I published an account of what went on there, plus 2 other stories about child abuse. 🧵
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Thank you
@jimclemente
,
@laurarichards99
, and Lisa Zambetti for amplifying the voice of a male survivor of CSA.
@semills
, my sons and I *so* appreciate your courage — the path you’ve paved makes it easier for other men and boys to speak up.
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Since they started speaking out about what happened to them, my sons have been contacted by so many boys who have experienced assault and exploitation (up to and including rape) but are not able to report the crimes committed against them because reporting to law (3/10)
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This is yet another example of athletes reaping the consequences of the bad behavior/incompetence of the adults in charge. Thank you for your tireless pursuit of the truth,
@byMarisaK
and
@TriciaNadolny
A sex offender tricked cheerleading officials by having a relative register her gym. Then, she got away with it again.
From me and
@byMarisaK
.
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Unless you are very close to a survivor you have *no idea* the kind of mental, emotional, and spiritual toll that speaking out takes on survivors, especially when they have to do it over, and over, and over again. 💔
I’ve been trying to process and recover from testifying. Today has been the most difficult for me. I’m trying to take it one breath & moment at a time but it is hard. Sending love to all the survivors out there who are struggling today. I’m with you 💔❤️
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Over the past 365 days our family been humbled by the courage of the other survivors who have joined
@ssamnicolas
and
@CharlesH_28
and spoken out about their experience of abuse in our sport. We have been grateful for the dogged persistence of
@byMarisaK
and
@TriciaNadolny
(1/4)
I am in awe of my sons’ courage. It was not an easy decision, but they have bravely chosen to lead the way toward transparency, accountability, and change in the sport they love by telling their story publicly.
#lightdisinfects
#athletealliance
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