"I am Jane Doe." Elite University Gang Rape Case Launches New Global Flashmob
Women and men are publishing posts with the hashtag #IamJaneDoe. They are supporting a former Cornell University student who accused seven men of gang rape. They are also trying to prevent her real name from being revealed.
"Jane Doe" is a placeholder name used in American courts for a woman whose identity is not disclosed.
It was under this name that a former student of one of the most prestigious universities in the USA filed a lawsuit against seven men, the university, and student organizations.
According to the lawsuit, on the night of October 20, 2024, seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity gang-raped a 20-year-old girl for several hours. She claims she was under the influence of alcohol and ketamine and could not give informed consent.
After the incident, the girl dropped out of her studies. In September 2026, she appealed to the court, accusing Cornell University of failing to protect her and not adequately punishing the participants.
In the media, the seven men became known as the "Cornell Seven".
Why People Call Themselves Jane Doe
New York state laws allow victims of sexual violence to go to court anonymously. However, after the lawsuit was published, some social media users began trying to find out who was hiding behind the name Jane Doe.
One of them was American journalist and political commentator Michael Tracey. He argued that the public should know the woman's name since the lawsuit named the accused men. Tracey eventually published a name he believed to be real but later deleted the post.
In response, social media was flooded with messages: "I am Jane Doe". Flashmob participants hope that a large number of identical posts will confuse search algorithms and complicate attempts to find the girl's real name.
At the same time, people began to share their experiences of harassment and sexual violence in these posts, including those in universities. Therefore, #IamJaneDoe is being compared to the #MeToo movement, which began after allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
"It's not easy for her. She is being harassed on social media," said the girl's lawyer. According to him, users mistakenly identified several other women as his client, who also became targets of persecution.
What is Known About the Case
The lawsuit materials include a screenshot of the Chi Phi fraternity's group chat. Its members crudely discussed the possibility of "free" sexual contact with Jane Doe.
Two days after the alleged assault, one of the men wrote to the girl that he regretted "how everything happened". He admitted that he poorly remembered that night.
The girl's responses were contradictory. She also wrote that her memory was "very blurred" and all participants were drunk. In one message, she stated that "none of the sexual acts were illegal".
During a later interrogation, the girl said that at the beginning of the night she had agreed to what was happening. But about the subsequent events, she told the police: "I can say with 100% certainty that I was raped".
Another report recorded her words: "I felt like I couldn't make any decisions because of how drunk I was".
In 2024, no charges were filed against anyone. The prosecution deemed the evidence insufficient.
The girl accused the university of failing to protect her and not adequately punishing the participants. According to the lawsuit, some of them were offered to mitigate their responsibility by writing an essay.
Following public outcry, New York Governor Kathy Hochul handed over the reopened investigation to State Attorney General Letitia James.
"New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled," Hochul explained.
The university states that it conducted its own investigation and punished the participants: some were expelled, others were temporarily suspended from studies. The university does not deny that writing an essay could have been part of the punishment for some.
The Chi Phi fraternity reported that it had expelled the accused from its ranks, and its local chapter was closed back in 2024. One of the seven men, through his lawyer, denies involvement in sexual acts and the use of ketamine.
The case is not yet closed, and none of the men have been proven guilty in court. But it has once again raised the question of whether victims of sexual violence can talk about their experiences without risking becoming targets of harassment themselves.
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Comments
То бок, пракаратура спрацавала як мае быць (не паверыўшы на слова алкагалічцы ды наркаманцы). Дык у чым проблема зараз?
Прыйсці на ўпіску, нюхнуць наркаты, зрабіць групавушку - свабодная дзяўчына ў свабодным свеце, мара сучасных. .. пакуль усе ва універсітэце пра гэта не даведаюцца, тады з кляймом шлюхі яна пачынае распавядаць тое, што з яе пункту гледжання павінна абараніць яе рэпутацыю, кажа што гэта было згвалтаванне.
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