"We Are All Jane Doe": Campaign of Solidarity with the Complainant from Cornell University Floods the Web
The "I Am Jane Doe" campaign is flooding US social media following a gang rape lawsuit filed by a young woman against Cornell University and seven fraternity members. Women and men are adopting the complainant's pseudonym to express support and protect her identity from exposure attempts. The move is drawing comparisons to MeToo.
The "I Am Jane Doe" campaign has been flooding US social media in recent days, following a lawsuit filed by a young woman against Cornell University and seven former fraternity members, for a gang rape she says she suffered in October 2024. Many women and men have adopted the pseudonym used by the complainant in the legal proceedings, and some are sharing personal testimonies about sexual assaults they have experienced. The move is intended to express support and also to hinder attempts to reveal her real identity, after efforts emerged to locate and publish her name. The lawsuit that sparked the storm was filed last month. The young woman claims she was given ketamine, reached a state where she was unable to resist, and was then sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house. About three weeks after the incident, she reported it to the campus police, but the local prosecutor initially decided not to open a criminal case. After the civil lawsuit revealed additional details, the investigation was reopened. New York Governor Kathy Hochul intervened and transferred the investigation to Attorney General Letitia James, saying the young woman was "failed" by those who were supposed to protect her. On campus, protests are growing: fraternity presidents have canceled social events, and student organizations are planning a demonstration demanding an independent review.