Jeans for justice: Local businesses participate in Denim Day - Taft Midway Driller

Woman's Center - High Desert Inc. toured the town to take photos with Ridgecrest businesses participating in Denim Day. Denim Day is an annual event that encourages people to wear denim in a show of support for sexual assault victims and for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is April.

Denim Day started as a reaction against a court ruling in the late 90s. According to a New York Times article on Feb. 16, 1999, called "Ruling on Tight Jeans and Rape Sets Off Anger in Italy," Italy had only reclassified sexual assault as a criminal felony three years prior. Before then, it was classified as a "moral offense."

Then came the "denim defense" according to the article. The Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction, in part, because they said that tight jeans cannot be removed by someone else without assistance from the jeans wearer. They, therefore, concluded that the 45-year-old driving instructor suspect must have had consent from the 18-year-old female student and victim because they figured she must have helped him remove the jeans.

Immediately, multiple female Italian politicians and lawmakers protested by wearing jeans to parliament, and were then joined in protest by Italian feminists.

It wasn't until 2008 that the Italian Supreme Court ruled against the "denim defense." According to an article from The Times, London from July 23, 2008, titled, "Italian court reverses 'tight jeans' rape ruling," the "denim defense" came up again in the Italian Supreme Court when a 34-year-old man convicted of sexually molesting a 16-year-old girl appealed his conviction stating that the act couldn't have been committed without her consent because her jeans were too tight. This time, finally, the Italian Supreme Court denied the appeal and upheld the conviction.

The website DenimDayInfo.org states, "Wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault."

Many of the Ridgecrest businesses went above and beyond that call by wearing denim on Denim Day and also donating funds to the Women's Center. The largest donation came from old Albertsons on N. Norma Street who raised $736 for Women's Center. Women's Center Community Outreach Advocate said that the funds will help Women's Center with its shelter, sexual assault training, and with staffing its 24/7 hotline.

The Women's Center has multiple hotlines. The domestic violence hotline is 760-375-7525. The sexual assault hotline is 760-375-0745. The child abuse prevention hotline is 760-375-7100. Despite the name, Women's Center is available to support any gender of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Learn more by visiting WomensCenterHighDesert.org.

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