Big Bear, CA, April 25th, 2016 – This year marks the 17th celebration of Denim Day. The inspiration of Denim Day came from the 1992 case of a young girl who was raped by the driving instructor of a behind-the-wheel class. The perpetrator was arrested, tried and convicted, but he appealed his case and the Supreme Court overturned his conviction. The Chief Judge reasoned 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.”
This ruling outraged women in the Italian Parliament, who all came to work the following day wearing jeans to show their solidarity with the victim. The protest spread and the first Denim Day was born, and it is now observed in the United States as a way to raise awareness about sexual violence and correct the misconceptions that surround it. There is never an excuse for rape, and sexual assault is never acceptable.
DOVES is asking you and your employees to support Denim Day by wearing jeans, a denim shirt, or blazer to work on April 27th. Send us a photo of you and your staff wearing denim to info@doves4help.org and we will repost it to our social media.
Participating in Denim Day provides a wonderful opportunity for our community to show solidarity with survivors of abuse around the country and to think about how we can work in our personal and professional lives to reduce violence.
