Women will meet at the Capitol today at noon to rally in support of Denim Day California, an event coordinated by the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Women across the state will be wearing jeans to protest the 1999 Italian court decision that released a rapist because his victim had been wearing tight jeans the day of the attack. The court found that it would have been impossible for the rapist to remove the pants without the victim’s help, and therefore she consented.

Since that time, women around the world have worn jeans in unison to remember that court case and attempt to dispel the myths surrounding sexual assault and the victims’ roles in such assaults.

The rally is part of Sexual Assault Awareness month, also sponsored by the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. The Women’s Resource Center at Sacramento State has held activities and events throughout the month to call attention to the subject of sexual violence and its connection to college campuses.

Denim Day California is one of the last in a series of events sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center.

Jessica Heskin, educator in violence and sexual assault support services at the Women’s Resource Center, said, “Denim Day is important because it is a day for us to wear our jeans in protest of the myths surrounding sexual violence, to protest the practice of victim blaming and to educate women of their rights as victims.”

Heskin said she knows it is difficult to tell who is wearing jeans in support of denim day and who isn’t because jeans are such a popular clothing option, so the Women’s Resource Center has been offering “Why Denim?” pins to students and faculty.

The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity has been working with Heskin this month to get more students involved in the Denim Day event.

The fraternity asked Heskin in 2001 to speak to its new members about sexual violence and what fraternity members can do to stop the cycle. She has been giving the presentation every semester since, and this year the fraternity asked her to be its adviser. It is the second fraternity to have a Women’s Resource Center staff member as its adviser.

Two weeks ago, Lambda Chi Alpha invited two sororities, Delta Gamma and Alpha Chi Omega, to its weekly meeting when Heskin gave her presentation about sexual assault and informed the women of the events being held throughout the month.

Greg Aguirre, social chair for Lambda Chi Alpha, said, “I had a friend who was raped, and it made me want to be more proactive about sexual violence.”

Each fraternity and sorority member is required during his or her first semester of membership to attend a Saturday conference by Student Affairs that includes one-hour workshops on drinking, hazing and sexual harassment, but Aguirre said he thinks it’s important to talk to students about sexual assault as well.

University Union employees will also be getting involved in Denim Day California by trading in their usual uniforms for jeans, so long as employees wear their “Why denim?” buttons to encourage people to ask questions, said Patricia Grady, Women’s Resource Center coordinator.

“Why denim?” buttons will be given out at the Women’s Resource Center throughout the day.

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Rebecca Adler can be reached at [email protected]