April marks Sexual Assault Awareness month. According to the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape. Denim Day is on Wednesday, April 26, a day to show your support for survivors and to eliminate victim blaming. This day is in honor of a woman who was forcibly raped by her driving instructor. The woman pressed charges, but the case was dismissed because the chief judge decided that, “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans, it was no longer rape, but consensual sex.”

Intentional or unintentional victim blaming is a problem in many communities. It is never acceptable to assault someone on the basis of what they were wearing, what they were drinking, what neighborhood they were in or who they were with.

Please join me in supporting Denim Day by showing your artistic talent and decorating denim squares with words and symbols of support to be put on display. This event is sponsored by the Student Legal Clinic and the Office of Student Life and will be held in the cafeteria (third floor, S building, downtown) on Wednesday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Don’t forget to wear your jeans!