Rachael Joy Denhollander (née Moxon; born December 8, 1984) is an American lawyer and former gymnast. She was the first woman to publicly accuse Larry Nassar, the former

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

and

USA Gymnastics United States of America Gymnastics (USA Gymnastics or USAG) is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. It sets the domestic rules and policies that govern the sport, promotes and develops gymnastics on the grassroots ...

doctor, of sexual assault. Denhollander is 2018 Glamour Woman of the Year and was included in ''Time'' magazine's ''100 Most Influential People of 2018.'' She is the recipient of the 2021 Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life.

Early life

Denhollander was born on December 8, 1984, in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, to Paul and Camille Moxon. She was homeschooled and practiced gymnastics at a local club. In 2004, she coached gymnastics. She began law school at Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy when she was 19.

Advocacy

Denhollander told the MSU Police Department in August 2016, filed a

Title IX Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receiv ...

complaint with the university and then shared her story of sexual abuse with the ''Indianapolis Star''. Denhollander said Nassar sexually assaulted her when she sought treatment for lower back pain as a 15-year-old gymnast. Denhollander came forward 16 years after Nassar first abused her, which led to a floodgate of hundreds of other women who came forward with similar allegations against him. At least seven other young women told someone about Nassar over a twenty-year period before Denhollander did likewise, but her complaint was the first to gain traction. Nassar initially denied the accusations, then admitted guilt in a plea agreement and now is imprisoned for the rest of his life. Before he was sentenced, more than 200 women gave testimonies about his abuse in two courtrooms over nine days in county courtrooms near

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

. Denhollander was the last to speak during both of Nassar's sentencing hearings. In asking the judges to impose the maximum sentence on Nassar, Denhollander said, "How much is a little girl worth?" She answered her own question: "These victims are worth everything ... I plead with you to impose the maximum sentence under the plea agreement because everything is what these survivors are worth." In Ingham County, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said Denhollander "built an army of survivors" and called her "a five-star general." Aquilina also said Denhollander was "the bravest person I have ever had in my courtroom." Denhollander has been bestowed with many honors for bringing Nassar to justice, including ''Time'' magazine naming her to its 2018 list of the world's 100 Most Influential People. On May 16, 2018, it was announced that the survivors of the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal would be awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. On December 12, 2018, Denhollander was announced as the winner of

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

's Inspiration of the Year Award. Denhollander said that she left her former church in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

over her concerns about their affiliation with Sovereign Grace Churches. Even though her church had never been affiliated with Sovereign Grace Churches, the leadership of her former church, Immanuel Baptist Church, issued an apology for not properly addressing Denhollander's concerns, saying their initial response had been "sinfully unloving." In March 2019, Denhollander announced that she would be publishing two books – a

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

titled ''What Is a Girl Worth?'' and a children's book titled ''How Much Is a Little Girl Worth?''. In September 2019, Tyndale published these books, plus a third, ''Discover Your True Worth.'' In March 2022, Denhollander published an additional children's book titled ''How Much Is a Little Boy Worth?''

Personal life

In 2006, Denhollander met her husband, Jacob. Jacob is a PhD student at

University of Wales Trinity Saint David The University of Wales Trinity Saint David () is a public university with three main campuses in South West Wales, in Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea, a fourth campus in London, and learning centres in Cardiff, and Birmingham. The university ...

. They have four children together.

References

External links

Rachael Denhollander
Official Website

ChristianityToday.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Denhollander, Rachael Living people American female artistic gymnasts Activists from Louisville, Kentucky Lawyers from Louisville, Kentucky 1984 births Michigan lawyers People from Kalamazoo, Michigan American writers 21st-century American women