HDS Joins Denim Day 2015

April 30, 2015
HDS Joins Denim Day 2015

The Center for the Study of World Religions director, staff and residents gathered today in the courtyard sporting a denim clothing item of choice to express individual and collective support of Harvard Denim Day.

Denim Day comes out of a 1998 Italian Supreme Court case where a man, accused of raping his student, was acquitted on the basis that her jeans were so tight that she had to have helped take them off.  The following day, numerous Italian lawyers wore jeans to court in order to protest the decision.  It wasn’t until 2008 that the Italian Court overturned this decision, claiming there is no longer a “denim” defense to the charge of rape.
 
Denim Day is a day where we join in solidarity to continue the important conversation about how we can effectively influence the concept to stop blaming victims and instead demonstrate support to survivors.  It creates the forum for us to consider ways in which our society has hindered survivors from getting the help they need.

—By  Charles Anderson, CSWR Assistant Director for Administration and Finance