'Jane Doe' solidarity posts flood social media after Cornell rape lawsuit
It was one woman, then another, and another, until a trickle became a flood.
Countless women, and some men, posting on social media that they were Jane Doe, in support of a young woman using that name to file a lawsuit against Cornell University and seven fraternity members she accuses of raping her.
For many, claiming the name came along with sharing personal accounts of being sexually abused and assaulted, joining the wave of solidarity that has surged since journalists at the college’s independent student newspaper reported on the lawsuit filing late last month.
The impetus for some of those claiming the name was a desire to offer the woman some protection in this digital age, in response to those wanting to identify her real name online. They hope the flood of “I am Jane Doe” posts will confuse online algorithms.
Another moment of reckoning
The posts have come in all formats — video, photo, text — across the landscape of social media platforms.
The outcry reminds many of the energy at the heights of the #MeToo movement, which exploded a decade ago. Back then women posted their stories of sexual harassment and assault in the wake of a high-profile Hollywood case using the hashtag phrase, which had been introduced in that context a decade earlier.
“These moments … are encouraging more women to speak up and tell their stories,” said Emma Davidson Tribbs, founding director of the National Women’s Defense League. “They are giving people a level of bravery and comfort to come forward and speak their truth. And they can be incredibly catalyzing for change.”
Change is what Wendy Lea Brewer wants to see, and that inspired her to post reels on Instagram with captions including “I am Jane Doe” and “It’s time to speak.”
Brewer, 48, a singer, has her own experience with sexual abuse and has spoken of it in her songwriting and performing. But she felt like she was “screaming into the void” and people were not paying attention.
Outraged after hearing about the Cornell case, she went online and found community in the Jane Doe posts.
“We are all right here feeling the same thing, and we have had enough,” Brewer said.
The Associated Press typically does not name victims of sexual abuse unless they publicly identify themselves.
The protection of the crowd
