Protesters stage 'I Am Jane Doe' rally in New York City against sexual violence

On Thursday, October 8, protesters gathered outside a New York City courthouse to demand stricter measures against sexual violence. The demonstration, which took place in front of the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, was part of a nationwide movement under the hashtag #StopSexualViolence: From the Frat House to the White House.

Hundreds of people, primarily women, displayed banners with messages such as "I am Jane Doe. Be afraid of me," "Death to rape culture," and "This is personal." The protesters were expressing frustration at the fact that in 2026, they were still facing such issues.

One of the protesters, Brianna Williams, a 40-year-old nonprofit worker, commented on the frustration, saying, "It's entirely frustrating that we are here in 2026 and still dealing with this. It's just an infuriating moment."

The rally was organized in response to a lawsuit filed by a Cornell University student, who went by the pseudonym Jane Doe. She alleged that she had been drugged and sexually assaulted by members of the Chi Phi fraternity chapter on campus in October 2024. Jane Doe named seven fraternity members, the fraternity itself, a local bar, her sorority, and the Ivy League university as defendants in the lawsuit. She also accused the university of not investigating and punishing the alleged perpetrators adequately.

The lawsuit specifically criticized the university for offering some of the accused a chance to avoid penalties by writing essays. Jane Doe had reported the assault to the police weeks after it happened, leading to an internal university investigation and a criminal probe, but the local prosecutor declined to bring charges. Recently, prosecutors reopened the criminal investigation, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed the state's attorney general as a special prosecutor in the case.

Cornell University appointed former Justice Department lawyer Sally Yates to lead an independent review of their handling of the allegations. The school closed the Chi Phi chapter and imposed disciplinary actions on the fraternity members found responsible, including expulsions.

All the men named in the lawsuit have denied the allegations, with some claiming the sexual activity was consensual and others disputing their involvement. The lawsuit sparked a broader national conversation about sexual violence and harassment on college campuses. The demonstration was one of dozens of protests held across the country on college campuses and in communities, all under the #StopSexualViolence banner.

The identity of Jane Doe has become a topic of discussion, with women on social media using the hashtag #IamJaneDoe to show solidarity and counter attempts to publicly identify her.