DENIM DAY
As Part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Break the dress code and the silence and wear denim jeans in honor of sexual violence survivors. Denim Day is being sponsored by the Project Hope Advocacy Program and the Janet C. Anderson Gender Resource Center at Idaho State University.
The Denim Day campaign began in 1999 in California as part of an international protest of an Italian High Court decision to overturn a rape conviction because the victim was wearing jeans. The Italian Supreme Court dismissed charges against a 45-year-old rape suspect because his 18-year old victim was wearing jeans at the time of the attack. The Court stated in the decision that “It is common knowledge...that jeans cannot even be partly removed without the effective help of the person wearing them...and it is impossible if the victim is struggling with all her might.”
The judgment sparked a worldwide outcry from those who understand coercion, threats and violence used in the act of rape. The unpopular verdict became an international symbol of myth-based injustice for sexual assault victims.
Support survivors of sexual violence by wearing denim. Buttons and stickers are available by contacting the Project Hope Advocacy Program or Anderson Gender Resource Center at 282-2805.
Visit the Denim Day table in the Student Union Building for more information and to pick up your Denim Day button to support survivors of sexual violence.
Safety Alert:
If you are in danger, please use a safer computer, or call 911, your local hotline, the Idaho Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-669-3176, or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-3224. There is always a computer trail, but you can leave this site quickly if you click ESCAPE on the navigation bar or press CTRL W on your keyboard.