by Maritza Gordillo
Denim day is coming soon on April 23 and we ask for everyone to make a social statement by wearing jeans that day! This is a visible means of protest against misconceptions surrounding sexual assault. This event is part of our monthly programs for April because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
To give you a reason why you should participate, here is a little history of Denim Day: In the late 1990’s, an 18 year old girl was raped by her 45 year old driving instructor in Italy. She pressed charges and the perpetrator was prosecuted and sentenced to jail. Some time later, he appealed the sentence and the case was taken to the Italian Supreme Court. The judge dismissed the case by stating that “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex.” Women in Italy were furious about the verdict and wore jeans as means of protest against this case. This movement spread throughout the world and in 1999, the first Denim Day was born in LA and has continued ever since.
Come by our table on April 23, 2014 from 11am-1pm in the Quad (52nd & Rockhill Rd) to make a statement against sexual assault by participating in decorating a pair of jeans and by wearing them that day too. See you there!