Peace Over Violence's Denim Day LA

Today I was proud to host the city's annual recognition of Denim Day in Council Chambers.

Every year since 1999, Peace Over Violence has organized this day as a rape prevention and education campaign designed to raise awareness of various misconceptions that surround sexual assault.

The idea to encourage individuals to wear denim in protest of sexual assault arose from an incident that occurred in Italy in 1992. An 18 year-old girl was raped by her 45 year-old driving instructor who was convicted, but later had his sentence overturned. Following the appeal, the Chief Judge opined that because the girl's jeans were so tight, she must have assisted the perpetrator in removing them and, therefore, was not raped. When female members of the Italian Parliament heard this, they protested by wearing jeans to work. Today, we did the same in the City Council.

Join us in donning your favorite pair of jeans to support this cause!