DENIM DAY: HISTORY

Denim Day is a day for students and administrators
to join voices together in support of Sexual Assault
Awareness Month (SAAM). At Columbia University,
we began participating in Denim Day in 2010 and
look to grow our support this and every year.

In 1999, Denim Day became an international movement
in response to a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision
to overturn a rape conviction. In the case, the justices
reasoned the victim’s jeans were so tight that she
must have helped to remove them, implying consent.

The day after the court decision, women in the Italian
Parliament protested by wearing jeans and holding
placards that read, “Jeans: An Alibi for Rape.” In 2008,
the Italian Supreme Court overturned the ruling.

During this sexual violence prevention education campaign, we ask members of the Columbia community to wear denim, jeans, or a Denim Day sticker, on April 27th as a visible sign of support for survivors of sexual violence.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. On April 27th wear denim, jeans or a sticker in support of Denim Day.

2. Send a picture of your office members wearing jeans to denimday@columbia.edu.

3. Attend a SAAM event, such as the Clery Lecture (4/5) or Take Back the Night (4/14). Dates, times, and locations available at health.columbia.edu/SAAM.