BILL NUMBER: SCR 106	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senators Romero, Alquist, Ducheny, Kehoe, Kuehl,
Migden, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, and Wiggins
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bass, Berg, Brownley, Caballero,
Carter, Evans, Fuller, Garcia, Hancock, Karnette, Parra, Sharon
Runner, Saldana, Soto, Strickland, and Wolk)

                        APRIL 14, 2008

   Relative to Denim Day.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 106, as introduced, Romero. Denim Day.
   This measure would recognize April 23, 2008 as "Denim Day
California" and would encourage everyone to wear jeans on that day to
help communicate the message that there is no excuse for, and never
an invitation to, rape.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, In 1999, the Italian Supreme Court overturned the
conviction of a man who sexually assaulted an 18 year old woman after
the court determined that, "because the victim wore very, very tight
jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it
was no longer rape but consensual sex"; and
   WHEREAS, Enraged by the court decision, within a matter of hours
the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action
and protested by wearing jeans to work; and
   WHEREAS, Nations and states throughout the world have followed the
lead of the Italian Parliament by designating their own "Denim Day"
to raise public awareness about rape and sexual assault; and
   WHEREAS, California and other states have declared April as
"Sexual Assault Awareness Month" and the California Coalition Against
Sexual Assault has declared April 23rd as "Denim Day California";
and
   WHEREAS, Both events are intended to draw attention to the fact
that rape and sexual assault remain serious issues in our society;
and
   WHEREAS, Harmful attitudes about rape and sexual assault allow
these crimes to persist and allow survivors to be revictimized
through victim-blaming attitudes and unresponsive government systems;
and
   WHEREAS, California is a national leader within the judicial,
criminal justice, medical, rape crisis, and health communities in
promoting victim-centered approaches to victims of crime; and
   WHEREAS, "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" and "Denim Day
California" are also intended as methods of calling attention to
misconceptions and misinformation about rape and sexual assault, as
well as the problem that many in our society remain disturbingly
uninformed about assault and forcible rape; and
   WHEREAS, The importance of this issue is underlined by statistics
indicating that approximately one-in-four women and one-in-ten men
are raped in adulthood and the sexual assault victimization rate for
youths under 18 years of age has been documented at one-in-four for
girls and one-in-six for boys; and
   WHEREAS, With proper education on the matter, there is compelling
evidence that we can be successful in reducing incidents of this
alarming and psychologically damaging crime; and
   WHEREAS, The Legislature strongly supports the efforts of
California Coalition Against Sexual Assault to educate persons in our
community about the true impact of rape and sexual assault in
California; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Senate of the State of California, the
Assembly thereof concurring, hereby recognize April 23, 2008, as
"Denim Day California" and encourage everyone to wear jeans on that
day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse for, and
never an invitation to, rape; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for distribution.