Denim Day has been internationally celebrated since 1999 in protest of an Italian High Court ruling that overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing jeans. The justices reasoned that since the victim wore very tight jeans, the man who was accused of raping her could not have removed her jeans by himself, so the victim must have willingly participated. Enraged by the verdict, women of the Italian Legislature protested the decision by wearing jeans. As news of the decision spread, so did the protest.
Blue jeans are worn by millions of Americans every day, but students, faculty and staff at the University of Missouri would like your department to wear denim on Thursday, April 26th for a special reason – to step forward and take a stand against rape and sexual violence. In addition, the RSVP Center has distributed Denim Day pins, provided by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, to MU departments. Contact Leo if you would like a pin.
The RSVP (Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention) Center, in partnership with the Craft Studio and True North, will sponsor a Denim Day rape and sexual assault awareness event on campus from 10:00am-2:00pm on Wednesday, April 25thin front of the MU Student Center. They will distribute information about Denim Day and encourage the Mizzou community to wear denim on Thursday, April 26th. Anyone interested in helping with this effort can contact Juanita at the RSVP Center by e-mailing RSVP@missouri.edu.
For more information about Denim Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month events, contact the RSVP Center by phone at (573) 882-6638, by e-mail at RSVP@missouri.edu or visit our website: http://RSVP.missouri.edu.