Faith Based Toolkit
What is Denim Day?
We celebrate Denim Day in honor of a woman who was forcibly raped by her driving instructor. The woman pressed charges, but the case was dismissed because the chief judge decided that, “…because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans, it was no longer rape, but consensual sex.”
What can your community do?
Wear Jeans on Denim Day
• Wear jeans on the Sunday before Denim Day during service and speak about the importance of sexual violence during a sermon.
• Create a campaign for individuals to make a small donation to wear jeans on Denim Day at your place of employment. Donate the proceeds to help survivors.
• Hand out stickers that show your support of survivors. You can find a sticker template here.
Bulletin
Some congregations have newsletter or bulletins. Add the Denim Day logo and website or Facebook page to your newsletter or bulletin. Consider something like this for your bulletin:
Denim Day is a day to support survivors of sexual assault. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Victim blaming, intentional or unintentional is harmful for survivors. Please wear jeans on Wednesday April 25th in an effort to show support to survivors of sexual violence.
Flyers
Hang Denim Day flyers in your bathrooms. The flyers have useful resources for both women and men.
Denim Day Photo Shoot
Wear jeans in support of survivors and gather for group or individual pictures. Create signs to show your support in the pictures! The persons of influence gallery has some great examples of how this can look.
Jean Decoration
Clean out your closet and decorate your old denim. Use a time during the week when you might have workshops to educate and use your creativity to support survivors and ending sexual violence.
• Bible study
• Youth group
• Week day meals
Denim Day Rally
Hold a rally in to show support and a unified community. Involve community leaders in your congregation in hosting the event to show support. Display the decorated jeans at the rally.
• Walk around your neighborhood
• Make signs
• Gather for a survivor speak out
• Bring in a speaker to talk about victim blaming
Decorate your Windows with a Denim Day Display
This could be a great way to show off the jeans you decorated, or you can use your creativity to create a unique display showing your commitment to ending sexual violence and supportive survivors.
Pray for or with survivors
Specify a specific bible study, workshop or gathering where the intention of the group is to pray with and for survivors.
Get social
Promote the Denim Day Facebook page through your own Facebook page or the Facebook page of your congregation.
