Shades of light and dark blue denim filled the Idaho Commons Wednesday.
Jeans, jackets and any article of clothing composed of denim flourished through the halls as University of Idaho students, faculty and staff joined together to stand in solidarity with a rape victim.
In response to the 1999 Italian Supreme Court case, that was ruled in favor of the perpetrator who argued his victim’s jeans were too tight, a social service agency, Peace Over Violence, assembled a national campaign called Denim Day.
Stickers promoting Denim Day lie on a table spreading awareness about Sexual Assault Awareness month in the Commons on Wednesday.
Members of the Violence Prevention Programs and ASUI set up a table in the Commons to promote Denim Day and advocate against sexual assault misconceptions.
“We’re just talking to people about this issue and about the topic,” said Emilie McLarnan, coordinator of Violence Prevention Programs.
McLarnan, who worked alongside ASUI Director of Safety and Violence Prevention Kesia Cisse, implemented outreach programs each Wednesday in April to honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“We’ve been kind of informing people about Denim Day throughout the whole month and explaining to them what it is,” McLarnan said.
Cisse said they had the most visitors at the Denim Day tabling event than they’ve had all month.
“It’s a really great event because it’s so easy to get behind,” Cisse said. “Everybody basically has a pair of jeans they can just throw on and show support for something that is so important and so relevant to our society.”
A common theme McLarnan said she observed among individuals who stopped by the table was shock. People were surprised that victim blaming attitudes toward sexual assault were still prevalent, she said.
“There are still some common misconceptions around the cause of sexual assault,” McLarnan said. “We want to just keep talking about that and let people know that we support survivors, we don’t believe those misconceptions and that, you know, the victim isn’t asking for it in any way, shape or form.”
At the table, McLarnan and Cisse were able to open up a conversation about support provided for survivors. They also extended information from Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse (ATVP), an organization that has promoted Denim Day for around 10 years.
“We always want to make sure people know what their options are and what their resources are,” McLarnan said.
Along with support service information, the tabling event promoted Vandal Green Dot, a bystander intervention program.
Vandal Green Dot helps train individuals to learn, become empowered, know how to access risky situations and how to intervene when necessary, McLarnan said.
ATVP and other organizations all around the country hosted activities which revolved around Denim Day, McLarnan said.
“Having that collective voice on one day can be important to get that word out,” McLarnan said. “It’s not necessarily going to necessarily prevent the violence from happening, but what we want to do is to dispel those myths and make sure survivors know we are there for them.”
Savannah Cardon can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @savannahlcardon