An event later this month will continue local observances of April as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
LACASA Center, whose mission is to help victims of interpersonal violence, invites individuals, businesses and organizations in Livingston County to participate in Denim Day on Wednesday, April 27th.
This international event was created in 1999 after an Italian court overturned a rape conviction, stating that because the victim wore tight jeans, she must have helped her assailant remove them, implying she consented. LACASA officials say the message behind Denim Day is that it doesn’t matter what you are wearing, or your actions, there is no justification for sexual assault.
Each year, around the anniversary date of the court’s ruling, organizations, businesses, elected officials, and people around the world wear blue jeans to raise awareness about sexual assault, consent and victim-blaming.
As part of the observance, employers and/or employees can request their workplace to make an online donation to LACASA in exchange for wearing jeans to work on Denim Day. Or, pool employee donations, match them, and make a collective gift in the name of their company and its employees. They also can start a workplace Denim Day Collection Drive for items that LACASA needs on its Wish List.
Registration Information is available at DenimDayInfo.org or by contacting LACASA’s Community Education Department @ 517-548-1350 or commed@lacasacenter.org.
