The East Los Angeles-Montebello Business and Professional Women  recognizes  April 24, 2024 as Denim Day. Denim Day is a nationally recognized day where people are encouraged to wear jeans in order to raise awareness of rape and sexual assault in their communities. Denim/jeans are the theme of the day because in Rome in 1992, an 18-year-old girl was picked up by her 45-year-old male driving instructor for her first lesson. He subsequently wrestled her out of one leg of her jeans and forcefully raped her. The perpetrator was arrested, convicted of rape and sentenced to jail, only to appeal his sentence on the claim that “the victim wore very, very tight jeans, and she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans herself, it was no longer rape, but consensual sex.” Enraged by the verdict, the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing jeans to work. This call to action continues to motivate state agencies across the nation to bring awareness to rape and sexual assault.

Wear Denim on Wednesday, April 24th.