Posted on October 8, 2026 (October 8, 2026) Share: On October 8, 2026, survivors of sexual assault and their allies are coming together in a day of action to demand justice for people who have suffered sexual violence. Free Speech For People join in support of this Day of Action and stand behind the organizers’ specific demands: Justice for Cornell’s Jane Doe and Kendall Francis: Justice for survivor Jane Doe at the NY Supreme Court and Kendall Francis in Baton Rouge Justice for Epstein Survivors: Full Accountability, transparency, and repair for Epstein survivors, including through the passage of the Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act Protect Survivors: Expansion and protection of survivor resources in federal law, including the restoration of Title IX enforcement powers and the publication of the Equal Rights Amendment Expansion & Protection of Student Survivor Resources at Universities: The defense and expansion of women’s, queer, and rape crisis resource centers and departments, majors, and funding The abject failure of Cornell University and Louisiana State University to protect victims of sexual violence and to hold perpetrators accountable is not an aberration. It is precisely the dynamic that victims have experienced, again and again, for far too long. Sexual assault victims are being failed by institutions that protect the wealthy and powerful, and that maintain patriarchal and racist systems of power. And at the highest levels of power, mechanisms of accountability, justice, and oversight are being eroded while people who are credibly accused of sexual violence not only face no real accountability, but are allowed to reach and maintain seats in the halls of power, from the Supreme Court to the Oval Office. They then turn around and protect other perpetrators of sexual violence, as well as people and institutions that shield perpetrators. The end result is that victims, already vulnerable in our country, are left without justice, without restitution, and with the knowledge that others suffered before them and that without change, others will suffer after them. Anyone can be the victim of sexual violence and be left unprotected by universities, workplaces, and law enforcement. Every such incident is unacceptable. But we also must acknowledge that people within marginalized communities, who have historically struggled and who continue to struggle against oppression and discrimination in our country, also tend to bear the greatest risk of sexual violence, are least likely to obtain justice, and must demand that justice from systems that routinely and consistently discriminate against them. Under the current administration, both the risk and the lack of accountability are worsening. Trump and the DOJ fought against the release of the Epstein files, including by unlawfully withholding files related to Trump himself. He and his administration have rolled back important Title IX policies and gutted the Education Department’s enforcement division. He has issued policies that discriminate and enable discrimination against the LGBTQ community. He has built up a militarized secret police force and unleashed it on immigrant communities, and he has expanded an already vast detention system, in which immigrants are held without due process, without public oversight, and at the mercy of federal officers with immense power. He and his allies, by their words and deeds, have created the atmosphere that encourages more sexual violence and discourages accountability for the perpetrators. It is beyond time to say: enough. Our goal of building a truly equitable system will fail if we cannot protect our most vulnerable communities from this devastating violence. Our democracy does not stand if we continue to shield the powerful from accountability for their actions. Our democracy does not stand if victims of sexual violence are crying out for basic human rights, and if our systems of accountability—whether that is a Title IX office, a police department, or our U.S. Department of Justice—serve corrupt and powerful interests instead of impartially pursuing justice. Free Speech For People therefore joins in this Day of Action and stands with the movement to #StopSexualViolence. Read more about the Day of Action here.