NEW YORK — Hundreds of protesters calling for tougher action against sexual violence rallied Thursday outside the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, where a Cornell University student identified in court documents as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against several campus fraternity members she accused of gang rape.

The demonstration was one of dozens organized on college campuses and in communities across the United States under the social media banner “#StopSexualViolence: From the Frat House to the White House.” Several hundred people, mostly women, gathered outside the downtown courthouse carrying banners that read “I am Jane Doe. Be afraid of me,” “Death to rape culture” and “This is personal.”

“It’s entirely frustrating that we are here in 2026 and still dealing with this,” said protester Brianna Williams, 40, who works for a nonprofit. “It’s just an infuriating moment.”

In a lawsuit filed last month, the Cornell student said she had been given drugs and alcohol before being sexually assaulted by members of the campus chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity while she was incapacitated in October 2024.

Jane Doe, who was 20 at the time, named seven Chi Phi members as defendants, along with the fraternity, a local bar, her own sorority and Cornell University. She accused the Ivy League university of failing to adequately investigate the allegations and punish students who were involved.

The lawsuit specifically criticized Cornell for offering some of the alleged perpetrators an opportunity to reduce their penalties by writing essays.

Jane Doe reported the alleged assault to police several weeks after it occurred, prompting an internal university investigation and a law enforcement probe. The local prosecutor initially declined to bring criminal charges.

After the civil lawsuit was filed, prosecutors reopened the criminal investigation. New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed the state’s attorney general as special prosecutor in the case. Cornell also hired Sally Yates, a top former US Justice Department lawyer, to lead an independent review of how the university handled the allegations. With the criminal probe, the civil lawsuit and the independent review all in motion, the special prosecutor’s findings, Yates’s conclusions and the litigation’s progress through the courts are the key developments to watch as the case advances.

NATIONAL OUTCRY

Cornell, which has defended its response to the original report, shut down the Chi Phi chapter and imposed various disciplinary measures on fraternity members found to have been involved, including expulsions for some.

All of the men named in the lawsuit have denied wrongdoing. Some have said the sexual activity was consensual, while others have disputed taking part.

The lawsuit triggered renewed national outrage over sexual violence and harassment, particularly on college campuses. Women have organized “I Am Jane Doe” protests in solidarity with the accuser, and the slogan was also used for demonstrations scheduled Thursday in Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The case has also become a focal point in a wider national conversation about how universities, prosecutors and the courts handle sexual assault allegations.

Some activists have cited comments by President Donald Trump about his behavior toward women, as well as a jury verdict finding him liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll, as contributing to what they describe as a “culture of rape” in the United States.

Thousands of students, faculty members and community activists marched Monday through Cornell’s campus in Ithaca, New York, demanding that the administration take stronger action against sexual violence.

Jane Doe’s identity has also become part of the public debate. Women on social media have posted #IamJaneDoe in solidarity with the accuser and to counter efforts by some people to publicly identify her.

— Reuters

Source: Bworldonline