STORY AND PHOTO BY JONAS CORLISS, STAFF WRITER
The Student Health Center combined their annual health and wellness fair and Denim Day on April 24.
Established in 1999, Denim Day focuses on “exposing harmful behaviors and attitudes surrounding sexual violence,” according to denimday.org. The annual day of awareness was created after an Italian court overruled a rape charge involving an 18-year-old girl and her 45-year-old driving instructor. The Supreme Court believed that since she was wearing tight jeans, the victim must have assisted in removing the jeans, making it consensual sex and not rape.
In response, women within the Italian Parliament wore tight jeans and protested outside the Italian Supreme Court the next day in support, starting the tradition of Denim Day. Since then, Denim Day has become the longest-running sexual violence prevention and education annual day of awareness in history, spanning all across the world.
Another part of Denim Day is the Clothesline Project. In this piece, people who have experienced sexual violence use shirts of different colors to represent the violence that they have dealt with, while also displaying messages about their own experiences.
“It is important to talk about consent and healthy relationships in order to not be scared of talking about our feelings,” stated Krista Chavez-Camacho, a member of the Student Health Center and main coordinator of the event. The shirts help show people how common sexual violence is, how it can happen to anyone, and how important it is to make sure that people are aware of the crimes.
Chavez described the event as a success, with many students checking out the booths available from local organizations specializing in support for people regarding sexual violence and the Clothesline Project. Many organizations also reported that people were asking about volunteering opportunities from the organizations.
This year unexpected challenges arose with organizing due to construction and moving offices, causing Denim Day and the annual Health and Wellness Fair to fall on the same day. However, the results were still great according to Chavez. While the Student Health Center does not provide direct service regarding sexual violence, students can make appointments with specialized providers and the center can give referrals to community services such as Waymakers OC, Orange County’s Sexual Assault Response Team, and other services.
Chavez stated how important the community is when it comes to supporting victims of sexual violence of any kind. Attending learning events help keep people informed and vigilant to support those in need.
“We are here for and support you,” stated Chavez.