"She asked for it"

Today is Jeans for Justice Day and I'm trading my business attire for dress blues.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. A Woman's Place in Merced, a battered women's shelter, is one of the local sponsors of the national Jeans for Justice Day. There will be a barbecue in Merced's Courthouse Park from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Call for tickets: 209-725-7900. It's co-sponsored by the Atwater, Livingston and Merced and University of California Merced Police Departments and the Merced County Sheriff's Department. The Livingston officers are taking charge of the barbecuing. There will be a clothesline at the barbecue with jeans emblazoned with the ignorant phrases of the past that blame the victims for their rapes: "She asked for it." "She wore a short dress." "She was drunk." "She dated him before." "She was in his room at 2 a.m." "She was dancing sexy."

On Jeans for Justice Day, supportive people are encouraged to:
* Wear jeans...participate and protest
* Talk about it...challenge harmful attitudes
* Change it...Join together to make our community safer from sexual assault.

What's the significance of the jeans? According to the organizers, wearing jeans during Jeans for Justice Day became a symbol of international protest of harmful attitudes about rape in 1999 in response to an Italian Supreme Court decision to overturn a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans. The court ruled that it is impossible to take off tight pants, such as jeans, without he cooperation of the person wearing them and said it is impossible if the victim is struggling.

The outrage was global. Women legislators in California wore jeans to the Capitol to bring attention to the issue. I hope they'll do likewise this year.

I especially liked the comment from an Italian union official, Stefania Sidoli, who said, "We thank the court for having enriched women's wardrobes with a new garment. To the business suit and the little black dress, we can now add the anti-rape outfit: a comfortable and resistant pair of jeans."

There are stickers available to wear that you can get by calling 725-7900. Even better, at the same time, send a $5 donation to assist an organization that works to prevent sexual assault and to help the survivors. In addition to all the Merced County law enforcement agencies, here are some Fresno resources:

Fresno County Sheriff's Department, 488-3111

Fresno Police Department, 621-7000

Child Protective Services, 255-8320

Adult Protective Services, 255-3383

Rape Counseling Services hotline, 222-7273

Marjaree Mason Center hotline: 233-4357

Victims services: 488-3425

A Woman's Place in Merced crisis line: (209) 722-4357