Feminist and sexual assault advocate Jane Doe spoke to students at Carleton Oct. 26 on what she described as the highly institutionalized system that accompanies rape.
“I am fascinated by sexual assault and institutions that benefit from it. Rape is a tool of social control and works to maintain the status quo,” Doe said to begin the lecture.
A publication ban was placed on the event, meaning that no photos or recordings of the event could be made. The speaker assumed the name “Jane Doe” in order to remain anonymous throughout her career.
Doe said that rape has been sewn into the fabric of society and into the institutions that govern the police and legal system, having a detrimental effect on how rape is perceived and dealt with.
“We must understand the institution of the law to mediate the act of rape. People who work in these institutions are absorbed into the machine,” Doe said.
A self-proclaimed feminist, Doe has traveled extensively to spread her message, working with other feminists in film and eventually writing a book, The Story of Jane Doe.
As a basis for her talks, Doe related back to her own rape in August 1986 by the Balcony Rapist in Toronto.
“I’m a ‘good girl rape.’ Imagine the experience of a poor woman raped, a black woman, a lesbian, a trans-woman, a prostitute. These women are not getting the same ‘elegant’ treatment I was offered,” Doe said.
Although her case was solved and the rapist was jailed, she went on to sue the Metropolitan Toronto Police for not taking adequate measures to properly warn women of a rapist in the area. After 11 years, she won her civil suit, setting a legal precedent allowing police forces to be sued.
“If I did not have the anonymity of Jane Doe, I would have dropped the suit,” Doe said.
Doe also turned a critical eye on how rape has been dealt with on university campuses.
“On the campus we [ignore rape] by denying [it] exists. We don’t believe that date rape is that serious, because it’s ‘non-violent,’” Doe said.
Doe urged students to take a stand against such behaviour and said she is in full support of a sexual assault centre on every university campus in Canada.
“Listen to our youth and young people. Support students that support change,” Doe said.
Kerri Froc, a major player in co-ordinating the event, said he believes Doe represents necessary change.
“Every step forward is a celebration that change is possible. That’s one of the great things about her case — it showed that it is possible for law to really hear women and reflect the reality of their lives,” Froc said.
Doe ended the talk by giving the audience some suggestions on how to fix this ever-growing problem.
“We need to go to joy, positive sex and we need to take back our universities. I took my rape politically and not personally, and that is what saved me.”