Denim Day is a campaign to prevent sexual violence through education and public awareness. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Denim Day is a call to action for all people to come together by wearing denim as a visible sign of protest against sexual violence. By participating in Denim Day this April, you can play a role in the prevention of sexual violence. Every year, community members, elected officials, businesses and students are asked to make a social statement with their fashion and on April 23rd to wear jeans as a visible means of protest against misconceptions that surround sexual assault.
Why denim? Denim Day has been internationally celebrated since 1999 in protest of an Italian Supreme Court ruling that overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing jeans.In 1992, an 18-year-old girl in Italy was raped by her driving instructor during a driving lesson. He was convicted, but in 1999, the Court overturned the verdict on the premise 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 of the Italian Legislature protested the decision by wearing jeans to work. As news of the decision spread, so did the protest. In April 1999, a social service agency in Los Angeles established the first Denim Day in the United States.
Z93 KQZ and all of Cumulus Media invite all area businesses to carry on this tradition. We wear denim to dispel harmful myths about sexual violence and survivors.
We invite your workplace or school to join us! Raise awareness of sexual violence and funds to help survivors by inviting employees to donate $5 to The Sexual Assault Center with Child & Family Services for the chance to wear jeans for a day.
