10/09/2026
R**e and s*xual assault are never acceptable. Sexual violence is not inevitable, and none of us should accept a society where women must live in fear and organize their lives around the threat of being attacked.
I want to condemn in the strongest possible terms what the Cornell 7 and their 57 enablers in the group chat did to Jane Doe at the Chi Phi frat house — and I also condemn the failures of Cornell University and the criminal legal system in responding to her attackers. Jane Doe made a very clear statement during the Title IX process that she was 100% confident she was r***d, and yet that process and those institutions failed her.
And while the outrage of this event is what calls us here this evening — we know this problem is systemic — 26% of women report being s*xually assaulted during their college years — this is a staggering figure and an urgent reminder that r**e culture must end.
It’s not lost on me that I am a man speaking to you, in the context of a patriarchal society that privileges men, at a rally organized by the incredible women leaders of Mass Now, Jane Doe, BARCC, Victim Rights Law Center, and others — and yet, I accepted the invitation to be here this evening because we know it is important for men to speak out as well, to hold other men accountable, and to do everything in our power to push for meaningful change and demand an end to s*xual violence.
As State Representative, I am committed to doing my part. We must increase state funding for s*xual and domestic violence services; invest in prevention and response mechanisms, and remove systemic barriers preventing survivors from accessing support.
In particular, the state government should fund and require mandatory consent education, from early elementary through high school. We also need to pass the Healthy Youth Act to ensure evidence-based s*x and relationship education is required statewide.
One legislator cannot do this alone — but seeing everyone here on the Common this evening gives me hope that real change is possible. I am humbled to stand here in solidarity with .doe.inc and survivors everywhere.
