In 1992, an 18-year-old girl was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor in Italy. Years following his sentence, the conviction was overturned. The Italian Supreme Court concluded that the teen’s jeans were too tight for the perpetrator to remove without assistance, and therefore, it was deemed consensual sex. The man walked free.

Protests erupted across Italy, with female lawmakers wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court to express their disgust and dissent towards the verdict. The protest was adopted worldwide, and the first official Denim Day was held in Los Angeles in 1999.

Today, denim stands as a symbol against the myths, survivor stigma, and tolerance surrounding sexual violence. Sam Houston State University will be honoring Denim Day from April 28-30 in the Frank Parker Plaza, with the campus community encouraged to wear denim as a sign of support against sexual assault.

The Italian Supreme Court defended this decision, claiming that “jeans cannot be removed easily and certainly it is impossible to pull them off if the victim is fighting against her attacker with all her force.”

When an armed criminal jumps from the shadows and holds a gun to your chest, demanding your wallet, you’re going to hand it over. For a moment, one person holds all the power while the other simply wants to survive.

Further, the Court stated that “it is instinctive, especially for a young woman, to oppose with all her strength the person who wants to rape her. And it is illogical to say that a young woman would passively submit to a rape, which is a grave violence, for fear of undergoing other hypothetical and no more serious offenses to her physical safety.”

The myth that all sexual assault survivors resist and fight with all of their power creates a harmful stigma. People are quick to blame the victim, assuming that if no resistance is made, then consent is implied.

Fear impairs the human capacity for reason. Neurologists have noted that when the brain detects danger or a predator attack, humans may freeze like a deer in the headlights. Fighting off an attacker is one of the least common responses to sexual assault. Many victims are paralyzed by fear due to disbelief and fear as they are being violated.

A majority of victims don’t put up the resistance that they wish, leading to police often finding it hard to believe that a rape took place at all. The assumption that the victim is at fault for not putting up a fight leads victims not to speak up, whether they fear they won’t be believed or feel they were in the wrong for not doing more. A victim may fight, flee, or freeze- none of which attest to a lack of bravery.

Through April, the world will be observing Sexual Assault Awareness Month and using the time to advocate for victims and educate those who are fortunate enough not to have been forced to understand the reality that they go through.

Turning the blame and stigma away from victims and towards their perpetrators may seem like the bare minimum, but it is a continuous uphill climb.

Denim Day stands as a reminder that there is never any excuse or invitation to commit rape.