Denim Day Supports Survivors of Sexual Assault

In 1992, an 18-year-old girl was taken to her very first driving lesson and returned as a victim of a crime committed every few minutes.

The instructor, 45, drove to an isolated road, forced her out of the car and raped her.

After the victim reported the rape, the perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted. He spent multiple years in jail before appealing the conviction; claiming consent was given by his student. The Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction and the former driving instructor was released.

The Court argued that because the victim helped the perpetrator remove her jeans, the two had consensual sex. No form of verbal consent was given, and this became known as the “jeans alibi,” according to DenimDayInfo.org.

“Denim Day is about believing survivors,” said Women’s Resource Center program manager Lauren Clausing. “It’s about stopping victim-blaming and wearing denim in solidarity with survivors. It doesn’t matter what you were wearing.”

Denim Day is a campaign that occurs annually on the last Wednesday of April. People across the world and especially at UW-Milwaukee campuses wore their denim on April 27 to protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.

Norris Health Center – Health Promotion & Advocacy and the Women’s Resource Center hosted a Survivor Support & Wellness Fair on Denim Day in the Union Concourse. They provided access to therapy dogs, resources for survivors and self-care.

“I think it was very heartwarming in a time where people are not engaging with programs as much as they used to at UWM,” Clausing said. “The world is still an uncertain place. A lot of people are not as willing to come to different events like that. We’ve seen a drop in programming numbers around the university, so I think seeing the amount of people that came out wearing denim, wanting to come to the fair and learn about the resources was very heartwarming. It’s great to know that people still wanted to participate in this big advocacy event.”

Denim Day is a concluding campaign of Sexual Assualt Awareness Month, but on May 2, protest numbers spiked after a draft opinion by the United States Supreme Court leaked, which showed the court may overturn Roe v. Wade the consitutional right to abortion. This would result in illegal abortion, even in the case of sexual assault, in nearly half of the United States.

“It’s a fight that we’re still fighting,” Clausing said. “The fight is not over. That’s why I think Denim Day is really important, especially right now, given the state of the world and what’s happening with Roe v. Wade. I think it’s really important for us to continue to stand with survivors, provide them with resources, hope and support.”