March 17, 2025 | By Emilie Jacques
Copper Shores Victim Support hosts denim drive for Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Copper Shores Community Health Foundation is holding a denim drive in preparation for Denim Day, globally recognized in April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Community members are asked to donate jeans, which will be used in displays across Houghton and Hancock, raising awareness for Denim Day. Community members can drop off denim between Monday, March 17, and Monday, March 31 at Copper Shores Mission Support in downtown Hancock on the 5th floor of the Huntington Bank building between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Local high school and college students are getting involved by decorating the donated denim before it goes up for display. These denim displays are meant to spread awareness and spark conversations with peers, calling attention to harmful misconceptions about victim blaming, and dismantling the myth that victims are “asking for it” by wearing certain clothes.
What someone is wearing is never consent for sexual advances. There is no excuse for rape.
By normalizing conversations surrounding sexual violence and consent, students help foster an environment where they are better equipped to make respectful decisions, recognize and challenge harmful behavior, and where victims feel empowered to reach out for help.
Denim Day was established in 1999, after the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing tight jeans, ruling that the victim must have helped the perpetrator remove her jeans, therefore implying consent. The decision caused widespread backlash, as it perpetuates harmful misconceptions about sexual violence and victim blaming. Women in the Italian Parliament came to work the next day wearing jeans to protest the ruling, sparking a campaign that has now been recognized for 25 years.
This year, Denim Day takes place on April 30. Community members are encouraged to wear jeans on Denim Day, both as an act of solidarity and to spread education about sexual assault awareness and prevention. For more information on Denim Day and sexual violence prevention, visit denimday.org.
Victim Advocates at Copper Shores Victim Support offer aid and comfort to victims of sexual assault during forensic interviews, provide legal information and advocacy during court dates and connect victims with other local resources. Access free sexual assault resources and talk to a Copper Shores Victim Advocate at coppershores.org/victim-support.
