Cornell University sexual assault case: Florence Pugh, Josh Gadd and other Hollywood stars demand justice; ‘Those that protect and lightly sentence men that rape and destroy, should be punished’
Florence Pugh and Josh Gad are among the Hollywood stars who have spoken out following allegations of sexual assault involving seven former Cornell University students.Trigger warning: sexual violence.
About the Cornell University gangrape allegations
A former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe in a civil lawsuit, has accused seven members of the university’s Chi Phi fraternity of drugging and sexually assaulting her at the fraternity house in October 2024. The lawsuit, filed this month, also names Cornell University and several other organisations and individuals as defendants.The allegations have not yet been proven in court.According to the lawsuit, the woman reported the alleged incident to Cornell University Police in November 2024. The complaint claims that the university temporarily suspended the fraternity and the seven accused students before conducting an investigation.Her attorney has alleged that only two of the seven accused were expelled, while others received lesser disciplinary measures, including suspensions and essays. As per reports on various online news portals, the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office has said that its review of the police investigation found ‘insufficient evidence’ to support criminal charges.
Florence Pugh speaks out against sexual assault case
Reacting to the case, Pugh shared a lengthy statement on Instagram, criticising institutions for “failing to protect women.” In her note, she even called for harsher punishment for perpetrators of such heinous sexual crimes. Sharing her note on her handle, she wrote, “And if you are one of those shouting about this from the rooftops- thank you. Truly. This is a human issue, not a women’s issue. We are all involved. Men especially. Most importantly, to Jane Doe who bravely stood up to the despicable college that chose to do the wrong thing, you are so unbelievably powerful. So strong willed. And know that women everywhere are here to hold you and help you on your healing journey. Thank you for telling the world, we will do better.”She wrote: “Colleges/schools/universities repeatedly fail women around the world.“After reading about the young woman who was gang raped at her college by her friend and school peers, I’m feeling uneasy and sick and anxious. I’m processing quietly and watching everything and everyone and every man. I have a few thoughts on this horrific act that happened at Cornell College in 2024. I know this has happened before, and I hate the idea of it happening again.This is really the moment where we need our men to be as horrified and as sickened as us. You need to be leading conversations about how we change the allowance and complicity of this behaviour as much as we are. How can you expect us to trust that it’s “not all men” when in moments like this, many of you stay quiet?A drugged gang rape takes action and conversations. It immediately makes me wonder- had it been in the works for a while? Was the damage of this poor woman’s body thought about over and over before? Every single person who knew or heard about this happening, should be looked at with serious concern. They are as evil as those planning it. To know that a torture as violent as rape is about to happen ‘upstairs’ and not do ANYTHING ABOUT IT, is sick, cowardly and cold.The thing that makes me most heartbroken, is it’s a want to kill a soul. This is a killing of a soul. Destroying of a body and killing of a soul. And they’ve been let off? All it takes is write a quick ‘I’m so sorry I raped a girl while she was drugged with my friends, we thought it would be fine?’ essay and you’re good to go! This is unacceptable.We are not hard enough on those that want to damage human lives. I salute all those at the college that are fighting for that girl, exposing those boys and making life unbearably impossible to find joy during their terms. They should not be allowed to walk freely like the rest of us who treasure and care for souls.Colleges/schools/universities repeatedly fail women around the world. You build men that get taught through time and time again that they can do extreme harm and that they won’t be harmed in return.I’m no longer tired- I’m enraged by schools protecting boys, in fear of their futures being wrecked. What about the life that those girls then have to endure, with the knowledge that his reputation is more precious than her truth? Or to feel that no one with the power to do something cares that you were abused. It’s further soul-destroying.Those that protect and lightly sentence men that rape and destroy, should be punished and watched closely. Why are you protecting someone that fiercely?There is no equality until you respect our bodies. There is no equality until you stop damaging our souls. There is no equality until you let us live. There is no equality until we can say we feel safe. We are the life force of this earth, start ****ing protecting us. Be angry for us. Please.”
Florence Pugh’s post gets taken down
However, within hours of the actress sharing the note on her handle, her post was allegedly taken down by the social media platform. Sharing a screenshot of the same, she wrote, “Instagram decided to block my post from getting in front of the right people. Tut tut tut. Oh dear. That doesn’t look great does it? Here’s another go at it in case you were one of those people that can no longer see my post.”
Josh Gad calls rape a ‘violent and sick criminal act’
Actor Josh Gad also addressed the controversy in a strongly worded post. Referring to reports that some of the accused students were told to submit essays as part of disciplinary measures for the alleged rape.The actor wrote: “When we start setting a precedent that our girls and women can be brutally raped, and the resulting disciplinary action is to hand out (checks notes) ESSAYS (like it’s Bart Simpson being a lil’ rascal), about why it was wrong to brutally violate an innocent girl, we have lost our f***ing minds.The “promising” young and “bright” Cornell boys lost the right to a future when they stole a future from a helpless young woman. That’s not a “mistake” that these “aw shucks gee whiz rapist fellas” learn from. That’s a violent and sick criminal act that doesn’t take a f***ing Cornell degree to understand is evil. At this point, it doesn’t seem to matter if a woman accuses a President, a Supreme Court justice, a private university student, or an athlete. There is NO SUCH THING as white collar rape.This isn’t an Oopsie Daisy. It’s the destruction of a life. And we are sending a profoundly disturbing message with our inability to hold anyone accountable that this is OK. F*** that. Enough.”Since the allegations became public, one of the accused has denied the charges through his attorney.
