DENIM DAY
April 24, 2024
DENIM DAY
As the longest running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, Denim Day asks community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.
THIS IS A FREE LUNCHEON
PLEASE RSVP BY APRIL 16
PLEASE RSVP BY APRIL 16
THEME
The goal of this year’s luncheon will feature a moderated panel of professionals who will walk attendees through the process that follows a sexual assault—from initial reporting to medical care, victim advocacy, and legal considerations.
Panelists include representatives from Special Victims Unit (SVU), a victim advocate, a forensic medical professional, and an attorney.
What
Denim Day
Where
Cape Fear Botanical Gardens
536 N Eastern Blvd
Fayetteville, NC 28301
536 N Eastern Blvd
Fayetteville, NC 28301
When
April 29, 2026
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
ABOUT
The Denim Day story begins in Italy in 1992, when an 18-year old girl was raped by a 45-year-old driving instructor who was taking her on her very first driving lesson. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, removed her jeans and forcefully raped her.
She reports the rape and the perpetrator is arrested and prosecuted. He is then convicted of rape and sentenced. Years later, he appealed the conviction claiming that they had consensual sex. The Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction and the perpetrator was released. A statement from the Court argued that because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was not rape but consensual sex. This became known throughout Italy as the “jeans alibi.”
Enraged by the verdict, the women of the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court. This protest was picked up by international media which inspired the California Senate and Assembly to do the same on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. Patti Occhiuzzo Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, saw this in the media and thought everyone should be wearing jeans to protest all of the myths about why women and girls are raped. Denim Day began in the United States in April of 1999, and has been making its way West to East, North to South. This is Fayetteville-Cumberland’s 4th Annual Denim Day.
The Denim Day story begins in Italy in 1992, when an 18-year old girl was raped by a 45-year-old driving instructor who was taking her on her very first driving lesson. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, removed her jeans and forcefully raped her.
She reports the rape and the perpetrator is arrested and prosecuted. He is then convicted of rape and sentenced. Years later, he appealed the conviction claiming that they had consensual sex. The Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction and the perpetrator was released. A statement from the Court argued that because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was not rape but consensual sex. This became known throughout Italy as the “jeans alibi.”
Enraged by the verdict, the women of the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court. This protest was picked up by international media which inspired the California Senate and Assembly to do the same on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. Patti Occhiuzzo Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, saw this in the media and thought everyone should be wearing jeans to protest all of the myths about why women and girls are raped. Denim Day began in the United States in April of 1999, and has been making its way West to East, North to South. This is Fayetteville-Cumberland’s 4th Annual Denim Day.
