25+ YEARS OF IMPACT

Dear Denim Day Community,

More than 25 years ago, a court ruling in Italy declared that a survivor’s tight jeans implied consent, and the judge released a convicted rapist from prison. Outrage ensued, and in response to that injustice, I was inspired to start Denim Day in Los Angeles in 1999. Our team organized in protest, and advocates and survivors wore denim in solidarity to challenge victim-blaming and all the lies and myths that surround sexual violence. We created our still-standing motto: There is no excuse and never an invitation to harass, abuse, assault, or rape. We took that now-iconic message into communities, schools, colleges, workplaces, and politics. What began as a local act of resistance has since grown into a global movement—and today stands as the longest-running sexual violence prevention campaign in the world.

Today, the global Denim Day movement has reached more than one hundred million people—and is still growing. Individuals in all 50 states and in more than 100 countries—including Canada, India, Belarus, Australia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa, and Italy—have worn denim on purpose and with purpose to raise awareness, challenge harmful myths, and stand with survivors of all ages, genders, and cultures.

In recent years, we have seen both progress and backlash. Survivors continue to come forward with extraordinary courage, even as powerful institutions and individuals attempt to silence or discredit them. High-profile cases—from politics and entertainment to global networks of exploitation like those surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell—have exposed how sexual violence can be enabled by power, wealth, and systems that are set up to protect perpetrators rather than survivors.

These revelations have made it unmistakably clear that sexual violence does not exist in isolation. It is sustained by silence, by abuse of power, and by cultures that look the other way. Attacks on survivor credibility and the spread of misinformation can make speaking out even more difficult, perpetuating a culture of fear that discourages survivors from coming forward.

At the same time, many survivor service organizations face funding cuts while the demand for support continues to grow. In moments like this, the need for movements like Denim Day becomes even more urgent—reminding us that awareness, accountability, and collective action are essential to creating lasting change.

Denim Day remains the flagship of Peace Over Violence’s prevention and awareness work. Each year, this single day of action sparks conversations, education, advocacy, and community engagement that continue throughout the year. Denim Day is more than a campaign—it is a movement fueled by people who believe that silence should never protect violence.

The theme of Denim Day 2026 is Use Your Voice. Now more than ever, using our voices matters. In a time when injustice, violence, and abuse of power continue to surface across our institutions and communities, silence is not an option. Change happens when people speak out, stand together in solidarity, and refuse to accept systems that tolerate violence.

Using your voice can take many forms—sharing your story, educating others, challenging harmful attitudes, supporting survivors, being an ally and an upstander, advocating for stronger protections, creating art, organizing your community, donating and/or volunteering at sexual assault prevention centers, voting, or simply educating yourself and sharing that knowledge.

How will you use your voice?

When millions of us participate in Denim Day—wearing denim, jeans, jackets, and hats as symbols of protest and solidarity—we make visible a powerful truth: survivors are not alone, sexual violence will not be tolerated, and together we can change the future.

Thank you for being part of this movement and for helping build a world free from violence.

Patricia Giggans
Denim Day Founder & Executive Director of Peace Over Violence

If you are in need of help, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) hotline can direct you to a live crisis counselor, (1-800-656-4673).

For local resources in Los Angeles, CA, contact our LA Rape & Battering Hotline at Central Los Angeles, 213-626-3393; South Los Angeles, 310-392-8381; West San Gabriel Valley, 626-793-3385.