Sparked by growing concerns regarding Brown University’s handling of sexual assault and harassment cases
Reports and cases would result in penalties such as “apology letters”, “father-son” talks with the dean, or “mediation sessions”
When painted over by the administration, lists were recreated on bathrooms in dining halls, science classrooms, basements, and more
The anonymity of the lists protected creators and sexual assault survivors from legal or administrative consequences
2018, NEW YORK, SHITTY MEDIA MEN
Created by Moira Donegan, who was working as a New York based journalist at the Cut
Began as a google spreadsheet that allowed users to anonymously contribute information about men who had a history of sexual misconduct
Was intended to be a sort of whisper network but quickly became explosively public
2016, RHODES UNIVERSITY, REFERENCE LIST
Began with the names of eleven men and an “et al.”
Sparked a high-tension protest where crowds surrounded the homes of many of the men named on the list
Set into motion student efforts to create resources and better university protocols for sexual assault and harassment cases
None of the eleven men were found guilty of any sort of sexual misconduct or assault
2017, UK, INDIA, AND US, LOSHA
Published by a student named Raya Sarkar, who was studying at UC Davis at the time
LOSHA stands for the List of Sexual Harassers in Academia
Included the names of 75 men across 30 universities in the US, India, and the UK
While some universities investigated the faculty and professors named, others stated that their hands were tied due to protocols in their harassment guidelines
2019, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, RAPIST LIST
Was read out at a memorial service for Uyinene Mrwetyana in September of 2019 and circulated across social media
Uyinene Mrwetyana was a student who was raped and killed on the University of Cape Town’s campus
The list named abusers and sexual assaulters on campus
2018, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, COMMUNAL RAPE LIST
Published on a website named “Make Them Scared”
Site received over 400 submissions, more than 120,000 page views, and widespread interest
Sparked interest in similar sites at the University of Idaho and Washington State University
2014, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, RAPISTS ON CAMPUS
Flyers circulated with names of rapists on Columbia’s campus, stating that the men named were found to have sexually assaulted someone by the university
Named both staff members and students
Initially, the names were written in a women’s bathroom, but was scrubbed away
THE CONSEQUENCES: WHY RISK IT?
Though anonymous lists scribbled on bathrooms or printed on flyers are popular, many lists were also published by students under their real names and/or social media accounts
Many of these individuals ended up facing heavy consequences from administrations or lawsuits
Yet, even after seeing case after case of defamation lawsuits and university investigations, these lists continue proliferating across industries and campuses
DESPERATION: THE COMMON THEME
For most, these lists result from the failure of universities and judicial systems to adequately serve the needs of survivors
Though easy to generalize these lists as products of the #MeToo movement, examples of these lists prior to the #MeToo movement or even social media prove otherwise
Across years and countries, these lists have been scrawled across bathrooms, alleyways, bridges, and other common spaces
They call back to a tradition of “whisper networks“; they’re a way for disadvantaged and structurally oppressed communities to protect each other from those who would abuse their power
They serve the dual purpose of fostering solidarity across survivors and protecting them from the harassment they may face in legal and administrative systems
Time and time again, these lists are met with calls to rely on the administrative and legal systems in place to handle sexual assaulters
These represent a fundamental misunderstanding of the reason why these lists came into being in the first place
THE CHANGING LEGAL BACKGROUND
Rape lists tend to result in the same criticisms; that innocents could be accidentally named, and these lists bypass due processes
From these criticisms come defamation lawsuits; the preferred weapon of choice against these lists
By definition, defamation is “a statement that injures a third party’s reputation“
Defamation lawsuits must prove several things- that the statement is false, the statement was repeated to a third party, there was some fault(minimum of negligence), and that damage was caused
Several defamation lawsuits have been won against key individuals in the #MeToo movement and college rape lists
A key defense is the anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, which was initially written to protect whistleblowers
Trauma Porn to Title IX: Gender Based Violence at Penn 