April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Wednesday, April 24, is Denim Day.
Denim Day was created 20 years ago in Italy after a sexual assault case was overturned because the Italian Supreme Court ruled that the victim’s tight jeans implied consent. Women in the Italian Parliament were outraged by the ruling and wore their jeans on the front steps of the Supreme Court in protest.
Since then, Denim Day has been celebrated each April to raise awareness about sexual violence and educate communities on how to prevent it. Nationally, sexual violence is often under reported, and UCF is no different. Let’s Be Clear that sexual violence has no place on our campus, and there are resources at UCF and in the community to support survivors.
I encourage everyone at UCF to wear their jeans on April 24 to recognize Denim Day. Join me in adding denim to our black and gold to show our support for survivors everywhere.
Elizabeth A. Dooley
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
