Denim Day at a Glance
Words and photographs by Mia Milosevic
On Wednesday, May 1, representatives from CCNY’s Gender Resources and the Office of Diversity and Compliance, along with representatives from Womankind, an organization which serves victims of gender violence, organized Denim Day. Denim Day has significance because of a Italian Supreme Court case from 1992. An 18-year-old girl was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor during her first driving lesson. He was initially convicted, but appealed the sentence. He claimed, and the court agreed, that the sex was consensual, arguing that because she was wearing tight jeans, she would have had to help him remove them, making it consensual sex. The women in the Supreme Court protested by wearing jeans, and after national coverage, it became a means for people to protest rape myths. “Events like Denim Day are a great way to raise awareness around sexual violence and spark discussion on the many harsh realities we still live with,” says Emily Shue, a Womankind representative.
