The People's Choice For 'Person Of The Year' Is Gisele Pelicot

Gisele Pelicot grew up in France and married her future husband Dominique Pelicot in 1973. The couple had three children and lived near Paris where Gisele worked in the logistics department of an electric company. Dominique was an aspiring yet unsuccessful businessman.

The Pelicots divorced in 2001 but still lived together and ultimately remarried in 2007. The couple moved to Mazan, France, after they retired in 2013. 

There, the seemingly happy couple lived together, according to Gisele. Two years before moving, however, Gisele began experiencing unexplained physical and psychological symptoms that sent her to her physician. Memory loss, blackouts, and gynecological symptoms led to numerous tests to try to determine the cause. Through it all, Gisele later recalled, her husband went with her to appointments and he remained someone she “trusted entirely.”

In 2020, Dominique was detained for taking images from under the skirts of women at a supermarket. When authorities seized Dominque's electronics, they found suspicious chats and thousands of videos and photos of men having sex with an unconscious woman. That woman was Gisele.

Dominique had been drugging Gisele for nearly a decade and inviting men to take advantage of her. Authorities found evidence of dozens, if not hundreds, of rapes with 72 different abusers. As the investigation continued, authorities learned that the men were recruited on a defunct dating website and they included individuals from all walks of life. 

Gisele was told about what had been taking place on November 2, 2020. She also saw the photos and videos of the abuse and adamantly denied ever giving content to anyone, including her husband. Gisele later described the acts that she saw – and unknowingly experienced – as:

Scenes of barbarity, rapes, I wonder how I could have held on. Each one is more atrocious than the last. I was sacrificed on the altar of vice. 

Gisele divorced Dominique, bringing an end to their 50-year relationship shortly before his trial began in 2024.

Gisele didn't see Dominque between late 2020 and September 2024 when the trial against him and 50 others began in a French courtroom. When the case against her ex-husband and the others opened, Gisele allowed the public and the press in. 

Her lawyers pushed to have the video evidence presented on public view, too, something Gisele wanted because “it’s not for [victims] to have shame, it’s for them [the perpetrators].”

More of the specifics about what had taken place between 2011 and 2020 came to light during the trial. When the Pelicots moved to Mazan, Dominque increased the number of other men he invited to have sex with Gisele. 

While most men only participated in the abuse once, there were some who did so multiple times. There were also nights when multiple men took part. The rapists had to follow rules to not wake Gisele:

No perfume; no smell of cigarettes, and the obligation to warm their hands beforehand by passing them under hot water.

Some of the abusers claimed Dominque had given them his consent on GIsele's behalf, but Dominque later stated that they all knew she was unaware of what was happening. 

Having a public trial was something Gisele Pelicot wanted because, as she put it:

I wanted, by opening the doors of this trial on Sept. 2, that society would take up the debates that have been launched… I never regretted my decision.

Being in the courtroom throughout the trial was another way Gisele fought for justice. She watched as the videos of her assaults were played, she listened to testimony, and Gisele took the stand and endured questions from the defense team about her own sexual past. 

Gisele's legal team was concerned about their client's mental well-being during the trial. They witnessed how it weighed on her, but she assured attorney Stephane Baboneau, saying:

You know I survived 2 November 2020, so I'm ready for everything now.

At some point, as Gisele received letters and other signs of support, Babonneau said “she felt some kind of responsibility for victims who had suffered similar things.” 

On December 19, 2024, Dominique Pelicot – who did admit to the offenses – was convicted of aggravated rape and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Of the 50 other defendants, they were all convicted on rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault, with varying sentences depending on the specific charges.

After the verdict was read, Gisele stated,

This trial was a very difficult ordeal… I now have confidence in our ability to collectively seize a future in which each woman and man can live in harmony with respect and mutual understanding.

Gisele thanked her supporters but maintained that she did not see herself as having done a particularly brave act. In fact, she called what appears to be bravery and strength simply a facade over “a field of ruins.” 

Stephane Babonneau, Gisele's lawyer, said that she “keeps repeating ‘I am normal' - she doesn't want to be considered as an icon.” He continued:

Women generally have a strength in them that they can't even imagine and that they have to trust themselves. That's her message.