Former South Park writer and satirist Toby Morton has set up a website, TheCornell7.org, which documents the account of a woman who claimed she was gang-raped by seven students at Cornell University in the United States two years ago. The website bears images of the men allegedly involved in the incident. The woman, referred to as 'Jane Doe', was 20 years old at the time of the alleged assault.
According to the website, it will document the woman's account of the incident, the lawsuit, and the institutional response around the case. Morton shared that he is building the site carefully and will take time to ensure that every identity is correct and every photograph is of the right person. He has already received names, photographs, documents, messages, and other information related to the case.
The alleged incident occurred in 2024, when a woman claimed that she was drugged with ketamine, assaulted, and raped by seven members of Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity. Cornell closed the fraternity and temporarily suspended the students involved, several of whom were later expelled. However, prosecutors reopened the case after claims that Cornell failed to properly punish the men involved in the assault.
Celebrities have added their voices to the call for society to be more vocal about gender-based violence and femicide following the reopening of the case. US actress Tia Mowry has encouraged parents of boys to talk to their sons about consent, while Law & Order Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay added that the woman who filed the charges was never informed of the outcome of the case.
Other celebrities, including UK actress Florence Pugh, have also spoken out about the case. Pugh's censored post on Instagram expressed her feelings of unease, sickness, and anxiety after reading about the alleged gang rape. Hudson Williams of Heated Rivalry shared a strongly-worded post on his social media, calling for the arrest of the accused men.
The case has also sparked a reaction from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who addressed the nation on Tuesday night to discuss government's plans to tackle gender-based violence and femicide. Ramaphosa noted that more than 10 women's bodies have been found in Ekurhuleni since July and called for a four-pronged approach to tackling the scourge of gender-based violence.
Ramaphosa emphasized that the fight against gender-based violence must be taken up as a nation, together. He added that it begins with attitudes that regard women as inferior and that men have a role to play in preventing violence against women. The president's comments highlight the need for a broader societal response to address the issue of gender-based violence.
Key points
- Prosecutors have reopened the investigation into the alleged gang rape at Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity.
- Celebrities have spoken out about the case, calling for accountability and an end to gender-based violence.
- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has addressed the nation on government's plans to tackle gender-based violence and femicide.
