Planned Parenthood Participates in Denim Day 2018

May 14, 2018

When you choose Planned Parenthood as a place to begin or grow your career, you join an organization that stands for something. We believe that all people should be heard, respected and empowered to make decisions that are best for them. This includes the decision to dress how one wishes, without fear of being assaulted — or worse, blamed for their assault.

This is why each year Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest joins millions (nearly 12 million this year alone!) in participating in Denim Day. We wholeheartedly stand together in declaring that there is NEVER an excuse and NEVER an invitation to harass, abuse, assault or rape. And our team was proud to sport denim in solidarity with the effort.

Equally so, we believe it is our duty to help educate all people about rape prevention and bring awareness to sexual violence.

How Did Denim Day Start?

From the Official Denim Day site:

“For the past 19 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.”

What is the Purpose?

More than showing solidarity with survivors and protesting against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault — this is an education campaign. April is Sexual Violence Awareness Month, and a large part of Denim Day is educating the public about rape prevention and showing support for those who have or are experiencing sexual violence in their lives.

How Can I Join You Next Year?

You don’t have to work at Planned Parenthood to participate in Denim Day 2019, but we’d love to have you on our team. Explore our openings here.

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