By Samantha Cohen

Students across campus participated in Demin Day on Wednesday, showing their support for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 

The University of Maryland’s Campus Advocates Respond and Educate to Stop Violence, or CARE, held an interactive event in Tawes Plaza and the Adele H. Stamp Student Union.

According to CARE, Denim Day was inspired by a court case in Italy in 1992 when an 18-year-old girl was raped by her driving instructor and pressed charges, winning the case. The instructor was convicted of rape and went to prison. But years later, the instructor appealed the case, claiming that the sex was consensual and the rape conviction was overturned. A court member said that since the victim’s jeans were tight, the instructor wouldn’t have been able to remove them by himself, therefore the victim must have wanted to participate. 

Women of the Italian Parliament were outraged and then wore jeans in solidarity with the victim, protesting the overturned case. 

The first official Denim Day was established in 1999 and is currently observed in over 20 states on the last Wednesday in April. 

In 2008, the Italian Supreme Court agreed that wearing jeans isn’t consent to have sex and they reversed the 1998 decision. 

CARE leadership members set up a table during the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday. 

“It’s great to be a part of a community event,” said Grace Boudreau, coordinator for outreach and assessment in the CARE office. “These are difficult topics to talk about and it’s great, I think, when we’re just out in the community like this because it decreases the stigma.”

Students learned about the history of Denim Day, created denim keychains, took photos in their photo booth and spun a wheel with facts to win prizes. 

“It was a really nice activity to get people engaged to be creative and expressive,” Grace Mielke, a senior history major, said.

Mielke created a keychain and participates in CARE events often. 

Anna Kochkin, a senior psychology major, is an outreach peer for the CARE office and helped plan the event.

“It’s important to spread this message on campus because I think a lot of people still hold on to those ideals and stereotypes that ‘Oh, what she was wearing, she deserved it,’” Kochkin said.

Kochkin said she thinks people aren’t aware of CARE’s resources and services for victims of power-based violence. She wants students to know that CARE is there for them. 

“I really appreciate [CARE’s] mission to advocate for survivors of power-based violence because it’s a pervasive issue, not only in the U.S., but around the world,” Mielke said.

Featured Image: Materials for denim keychains at the CARE setup in Tawes Plaza on April 24, 2024. Photo by Samantha Cohen.