Tens of thousands of protesters gathered at city halls and college campuses across the country on Thursday to demand an end to sexual violence. The nationwide rallies followed weeks of public outcry over the mishandling of campus sexual assault cases at Cornell University and Louisiana State University.
The protest organizers – including Women’s March, Feminist Generation and Me Too International – demanded justice for Jane Doe, who said she was drugged and gang-raped by seven students at a Cornell frat party; Kendall Francis, who said she was raped by an LSU football player; and all survivors harmed “from the frat house to the White House”. They also called for reform of Title IX, a set of protections for sexual misconduct victims and LGBTQ+ students that the Trump administration has slowly stripped away.
The latest cases have outraged college students and their families over the pervasiveness of rape culture; 81% of women and 43% of men in the US said they have experienced sexual harassment or assault, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Parents online are questioning how to raise sons who will stand up to sexual violence instead of being bystanders. Women, survivors and longtime advocates say the onus has often been on them to use the momentum in moments like these to educate others and demand concrete change.
While the demographic makeup of the crowd at the Stop Sexual Violence rally in New York City was majority women, men of all ages were there, too, holding “I Am Jane Doe” signs and yelling to end rape culture. We asked six of them how they are personally taking a stand against rape culture.