Jane Doe

Five years after the #MeToo explosion, what’s happened in the lives of the women who stepped forward and went public with their stories? We tell the story of a teenager who spoke out against one of the most powerful people in her state, and what happened next. Prologue: Some powerful and well known men lost their jobs after #MeToo. But what about the women at the center of all this who’ve been way less visible after they told what happened to them? We hear about big and small ways the aftermath of coming forward continues to pop up in their daily lives. (10 minutes) Jules Woodson’s nonprofit is Help; Hear; Heal. Tanya Selvaratnam is the author of the memoir Assume Nothing: A Story of Intimate Violence. The Intern: Back in 2021, a 19-year-old intern at the Idaho state legislature reported that a state Representative named Aaron von Ehlinger raped her. She went by the name Jane Doe. There was a public ethics hearing and Ehlinger resigned. State legislators talked about how proud they were of their ability to do the right thing so quickly. But the story that the public knows is very different from what actually happened to Jane. She talks about it in-depth for the first time. (25 minutes) The Witness: Jane Doe walks into a public ethics hearing at the Idaho state capitol and navigates the aftermath. (23 minutes) Song: “Here We Have Idaho”  Fiona Apple (vocals) Amy Wood (drums and percussion) David Garza (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, vocals) Sabastian Steinberg (bass, electric autoharp, vocals) John Would (tremolo guitar) Engineered by John Would, Amy Wood, Fiona Apple Mixed and mastered by John Would Doe Meets Doe (podcast only): Jane Doe sent some questions for us to ask Chanel Miller. For years, Chanel was known as Emily Doe. She wrote a victim impact statement that millions of people read. (A swimmer at Stanford University named Brock Turner sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious.) She talks about how she decided to come out with her real name and who Emily Doe is to her now. (9 minutes) Chanel Miller is the author of the memior Know My Name. Editor for this episode: Chana Joffe-Walt If you’ve experienced sexual assault and want to talk to someone, you can reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE. If you’re having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988 on your phone.