Wear Your Jeans, Show Your Support for Survivors.

Will your company sponsor everyone to wear jeans for this day?
Can you get them to allow jeans if you donate to YWCA St. Joseph?

Denim Day began in Italy in 1992 when a 45-year-old driving instructor raped an 18-year-old girl. Although initially convicted of rape and sentenced to jail, the sentence was overturned by the Italian Supreme Court because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she would have had to help remove her jeans therefore making it consensual sex and not rape. In retaliation to this overturned verdict, women in the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court. Denim Day was brought to the US in 1999 when this protest inspired the California Senate and Assembly to do the same on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. Everyone should be wearing jeans to protest all of the myths about why women about why women and girls are raped.