The Cut - I Survived Larry Nassar

I was a therapist for sex offenders in an Illinois prison when I realized I had been the childhood victim of a sex offender myself. The realization hit me when I was driving home from work one day in the fall of 2016. At the time, I had just finished my doctorate in clinical psychology and was doing a postdoctorate at the prison. I hadn’t specifically chosen to work with sex offenders; I had applied for various postdoctorates, and this was the one I got. Mainly, I did group-counseling sessions; it was a well-supervised environment, and I felt in control. But the men’s stories were gut-wrenching; we talked about their sex offenses, their triggers and thought processes. Sometimes I felt as if I needed a degree in acting to keep an expressionless face.

I usually talked to my mom while driving home from work. This time, she had news: Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar had been accused of sexual abuse. The instant she said it, I thought, I’m not surprised. At the same time I wondered, Why am I not surprised?

I knew.

Venus retrograde ends Saturday — find out what that means for your weekly horoscope. Amazon’s “wellness huddles” sound (characteristically) dystopian. We’re not sure if this story about Dakota Johnson is true, but it’s so peculiar we feel it’s our duty to share. This is the first we’re hearing of Murderville, an upcoming “big-budget, hyper-committed variant of murder mystery dinner theater” Netflix series, but we’re all in. Cara Delevingne failed to don a mask after having her photo taken at Dior couture, ruffling feathers. A French surgeon faces legal action after trying to sell a shooting victim’s X-ray as an NFT. And if you’re into crosswords, you’ll be glad to hear that our pals at Vulture have launched a daily puzzle!

It happened this week — let’s talk about it. Sign up for My Week in New York: a new newsletter from the editors.

If you enjoyed reading the Cut’s daily newsletter, forward it to a friend. Or dive deeper into the New York universe with the Vulture newsletter, a daily digest of entertainment news for the pop-culture obsessed.