Larry Nassar abused me so many times at Walker County’s Karolyi Ranch that it is hard to calculate the number. In an environment that should have been a safe haven, Nassar – the disgraced USA Gymnastics national team doctor – betrayed my trust in the worst possible way and took advantage of young girls like me for decades.

I decided to come forward with my story because I realized I had an opportunity to help other survivors and potentially encourage them to come forward as well. By sharing my experience, I hope to enact positive change for all survivors of sex abuse. In my home state of Texas, there is a bill pending in the Legislature that would do just that.

HB 3809 would expand the statute of limitations from 15 years to 30 years for victims to file civil cases against both the abuser and the institution that enabled them. As the bill proceeded through the Texas House of Representatives, a change was suddenly made to the bill that would carve out institutions from the extension – essentially providing them immunity.

However, Sen. Kirk Watson introduced a new version of the bill that reversed this carve-out. It recently passed the Senate, and will now be sent back to the House for a vote. The House should act swiftly on this new version for the sake of survivors across our great state.

Expanding statutes of limitations for survivors of child sex abuse is so vital because as a survivor, I know what it is like to be afraid to come forward. For years, I was in denial. Then I was scared. It took a long time for me to face what happened and tell someone.

When I filed a lawsuit against Nassar and USA Gymnastics, it was as a Jane Doe. I have since come forward with my identity, but it took time for me to feel comfortable with people knowing what happened to me. As survivors of horrific trauma, we all deserve the opportunity to seek justice, regardless of the time it takes us to come to terms with it.

It is also important that this bill allows survivors to hold accountable both the individual that abused them and the institution that neglected them. USA Gymnastics could have prevented my abuse, but they failed to take previous allegations of Nassar’s conduct seriously. Instead, they allowed a predator to continue to “treat” young women and girls for decades.

With bills like HB 3809, there are consequences for organizations turning a blind eye to abuse. The institutions that have done so will be forced to recognize the children they failed and enact changes so that it never happens again. That is what justice means to me.

Gymnastics is an integral part of who I am, and it always will be. The abuse I endured will have lifelong impacts. But I am not just a gymnast or a survivor. This ordeal has allowed me to find my voice and become an advocate, and I will continue to fight for those who can’t or aren’t ready to do so.

There are countless survivors across Texas who, like I once was, are afraid to tell their story. The Texas legislature has an opportunity to tell them that they – not abusers or the powerful institutions behind them – matter most. I urge the Texas Legislature to pass HB 3809 and support survivors of sexual abuse, not the institutions that perpetuate it.

Baumann is a World Champion gymnast and a former USA Gymnastics national team member from Plano.