No, Monica Aldama, Those Who Elicit Sex From Minors Don't Deserve Our Empathy

In September of 2020, the world was stunned by the arrest of Jerry Harris, beloved breakout star of the smash hit Netflix series “Cheer” on charges of possession of child pornography. He was subsequently questioned and admitted to having solicited sexual images and videos from 10-15 victims and of having sex with a child at a cheerleading competition in early 2019. Though his attorneys petitioned to allow Harris to be released on bond and remanded to house arrest, the judge deemed him a clear and present danger and he has remained in prison pending trial. If convicted he faces at least 15 years in prison.

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When I initially covered this story, the conversation revolved around how often the most likable individuals can secretly be sexual predators and how to reconcile this fact. Harris had become such a celebrity — appearing on Ellen, the Oscars, scoring numerous endorsement opportunities and even being recognized by President Biden for his contributions to bringing the sport of cheerleading to the forefront — that everyone thought they knew him. And yet…nobody can really know what happens behind closed doors… even someone’s best friends and family.

In the second season of “Cheer,” which premiered on Netflix on January 12, episode 5 is dedicated to the allegations against and reaction to Jerry Harris’ child pornography charges. In the episode, the victims who brought the allegations against him, Charlie and Sam, describe in detail not only how their relationships evolved with Harris, but the harrowing experience of coming forward. They faced enormous backlash from the entire cheer community and were shunned by not just teammates and friends, but everyone they had come to know as their safe space within cheerleading. The victim blaming was horrendous, shedding light upon why victims seldom come forward.

The episode also outlines a USA Today investigative report penned by Tricia Nadolny and Marisa Kwiatkowski, who had previously covered the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case, which describes gross negligence on the part of USASF, gyms and coaches in upholding child protection policies. According to their reporting, nearly 180 people within the cheerleading community who face charges of sexual misconduct of minors have not been banned from the sports two governing bodies, begging the question… how many victims are there? They also point out that cheerleading allows children and adults to compete on the same team with little to no supervision or regulation as to codes of conduct between adults and minors.

All of this points an accusatory finger at those in charge and in this case squarely upon Monica Aldama, coach of the Navarro Community College cheerleading squad which Jerry Harris was a member of and is the focus of the docuseries “Cheer.” Harris was on the Navarro team while he was committing his alleged crimes and many want answers as to how he was able to get away with his crimes without anyone, especially Monica, knowing. To be fair, parents and caregivers are often the last to know, but there are serious issues of complicity in enabling the sexual abuse of children by predators within cheerleading circles that absolutely need to be raised and addressed head on. Monica Aldama is not just in a position of authority within the community and her gym, but her highly public persona, thanks to the Netflix series, places her on a very unique pedestal from which she has an opportunity and an obligation to take some responsibility and initiative for addressing these internal problems head on.

Sadly, her response and reaction both at the time that the allegations became public and subsequently as is documented in this episode are irresponsible at best and evasive at worst. When she first got the news about Harris, she was on the set of “Dancing With The Stars” (DWTS). While she admits to being devastated by the news, she states that she purposely avoided it because she needed to concentrate on competing. Members of the Navarro cheerleading squad who knew Jerry note that they were dismayed at the lack of communication from Monica when the news broke. They needed her leadership and her presence as their “adoptive mom” to help them make sense of how nobody saw what was going on.

Monica goes on to explain how when she went home from DWTS she struggled mentally because she loved Jerry like her own child and she was being bombarded with negative social media demanding accountability from her. The entire interview with her feels like a pity party for her self. She paints herself as a victim rather than taking charge. In her statement on Twitter dated September 18, 2020 she writes:

“My heart is shattered into a million pieces. I am devastated by this shocking, unexpected news. Our children must be protected from abuse and exploitation, and I’m praying hard for the victims and everyone affected. Please respect our privacy as our family mourns during this heartbreaking time.”

Many critics were quick to jump on her statement saying they have no sympathy for her and that she should have denounced Harris actions and stated her intent to do everything she can to prevent this from ever happening again.

Later in her interview she talks about not being able to process what happened, not knowing how to wrap her head around what he did versus the person she thought she knew and how she didn’t know how she should feel. She goes on to say that Harris sent her a letter in which he talks about becoming a motivational speaker once this is all over, to which Monica responds “There are people who are great motivational speakers who did horrible things and they came full circle.”

I have three words for Monica. What. The. Fuck? I understand that it’s difficult to reconcile something as heinous as what Jerry did with who you thought he was. But we aren’t talking about some kind of petty crime. We are talking about sexually exploiting and soliciting sex from innocent boys who were made doubly vulnerable by his fame and position of power within a community they were deeply passionate about. What could be more destructive than that?

Jerry doesn’t deserve an ounce of empathy. You can be sad about losing the person you thought Jerry was, but by golly your primary feeling should be anger, revulsion and dismay at what he did to those children. You need to pull yourself together and be the leader you profess to be within the cheerleading community. Instead of focusing on how awful you feel, take your badass take no mercy attitude and insist that the USASF, gyms, coaches and all other adults involved in the cheerleading world condemn sexual predators, hold those who have been allowed to continue being involved accountable and create a culture of awareness and zero tolerance to protect children from being victimized ever again within the context of the cheerleading community.

I have absolutely no patience for organizations like these failing to protect the athletes they rely upon to win trophies for them at any cost. It’s shameful and it’s high time that those in positions of power offer more than just thoughts and prayers. You either are a part of the solution or you are a part of the problem. There’s no grey area here.   I’m speaking to all of the Monica’s, the Karolyi’s, the Catholic bishops and any other leaders within organizations that have a known problem with systematic sexual abuse of children within them… you will be the change or you will end up becoming irrelevant. Take action. I stand with my fellow survivors. We deserve to be heard, not shamed or blamed. You deserve justice.