Denim Day Rally
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025
Salt Lake City Library Plaza
210 E 400 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
6:00pm- 8:00pm
Family Friendly Event! There will be food, vendors, speakers, local organizations, crafts, and more!
Visit our social media pages @ucasaorg and share why you support Denim Day!
History of Denim Day:
ITALY, 1990S
The Denim Day story began in Italy 1992, when an 18-year old girl was raped by the 45-year old driving instructor who was taking her to her very first driving lesson. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, removed her jeans and forcefully raped her.
She reported the rape and the perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted. He was then convicted of rape and sentenced to jail. Years later, he appealed the conviction claiming that the sex was consensual, leading the Italian Supreme Court to overturn the conviction and release the perpetrator. A statement from the Court argued that because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she had to help remove them, and by removing the jeans it was not rape but consensual sex. This became known throughout Italy as the “jeans alibi.”
Enraged by the verdict, the women in the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court. This protest was picked up by international media which inspired the California Senate and Assembly to do the same on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. Patti Occhiuzzo Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, saw this in the media and thought everyone should be wearing jeans to protest all of the myths about why women and girls are raped. Thus, Denim Day in LA was born. The first Denim Day in LA event was held in April 1999, and has continued annually since.
For more information on the case, visit The New York Times’ coverage.
*Information from denimday.org*
UCASA 5K Run
Join UCASA’s 80s-Themed 5K to Support Survivors! 🎽💜
The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA) invites you to lace up your sneakers and get moving this spring! Join us in a 5K run to support Sexual Assault Survivors and Prevention. Your participation helps support survivors and fund critical sexual violence education, prevention, and response programs in Utah
🌍 Virtual 5K
🏃♀️ Run or walk anytime the weekend of April 25-27—wherever you are!
📍 In-Person 5K meetup
🗓 April 26th | 4 PM
📍 Sugarhouse Park, Salt Lake City
🔥 80s Theme Alert! Break out your neon, leg warmers, and retro workout gear for a rad run!
💜 100% of proceeds go toward building a future free from sexual violence. Let’s show up, step up, and make an impact—together.
CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Be sure to dress up and use the hashtag #UCASA5K on social media to connect with other participants and to log your time. We encourage you to post about why you want to participate, and why ending sexual violence matters to you, and to tag @UCASA in your posts.
Sign Up Here