Community News

Costa Mesa City employees take part in Denim Day to support sexual assault survivors

 

by:Tony Dodero
Published: May 4, 2026

 

 

COSTA MESA...On Wednesday, April 29, city staffers took part in Denim Day to call attention to Sexual Assault Awareness Month to support survivors and educate ourselves and others about sexual assault. 

Furthermore, it is a day of action and awareness; people worldwide are encouraged to wear denim to combat victim-blaming for sexual violence.

The Denim Day campaign was in response to a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court on a high-profile sexual assault case where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped the person who raped her 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.

As the longest-running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, Denim Day, which takes place on the last Wednesday in April, asks community members, elected officials, businesses, and students to make a social statement with their fashion statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.