NEW YORK — One woman came forward, then another, then a third. Before long, a steady stream had become a flood.
Across social media, countless women — along with some men — declared themselves Jane Doe in solidarity with a young woman who used that name while suing Cornell University and seven fraternity members she alleges raped her.
For many participants, adopting the pseudonym also meant recounting their own experiences of sexual abuse or assault. Their posts became part of a broad show of support that intensified after journalists at Cornell’s independent student newspaper reported on the lawsuit late last month.
Some people joined the campaign to help shield the plaintiff in an era when online searches can quickly expose a person’s identity. By flooding the internet with “I am Jane Doe” messages, they hoped to confuse search tools and artificial intelligence systems.
Another moment of reckoning
The declarations have appeared in nearly every format, including videos, photographs and written posts shared across social media.
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The wave of testimony has evoked the peak of the #MeToo movement, which surged roughly a decade ago as women shared accounts of harassment and assault following a prominent Hollywood case. The hashtag itself had been introduced in that setting years 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.”
Wendy Lea Brewer hopes the campaign leads to that kind of change. The 48-year-old singer posted Instagram reels carrying messages such as “I am Jane Doe” and “It’s time to speak.”
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