Showing Legs for Denim Day!

See friends of Peconic Bay Zonta showing off their legs for Denim Day, April 26, 2023.

What is Denim Day?

In 1992, in Italy, an 18-year-old girl was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor. He was jailed for the crime but began a lengthy appeal process, claiming that the sex was consensual.

Years later, the case made it to the Italian Supreme Court, which overturned the conviction, setting free the perpetrator.

The Supreme Court in Italy released a statement arguing 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."

Enraged by the verdict, women in the Italian Parliament launched a protest, gathering on the steps of the Supreme Court wearing jeans. This act of advocacy captured international media, and Denim Day is now marked all over the world on the last Wednesday of April.

Listed alphabetically, our friends in denim are:

• Allison, Toscana, IT
• Courtney, Connecticut, USA
• Gretchen, New York, USA
• Jen, California, USA
• Laura, New York, USA
• Michael, Hawaiʻi, USA
• Norma, Ohio, USA
• Rhona, Washington, USA
• Sara, Illinois, USA
• Sharon, Virginia, USA

Allison, standing on a classic Italian tile floor, had this to say about the court ruling, "That was such an outrageous case but I wonder how far we've progressed from there . . ."

Indeed!

This is why the work of Zonta International is so vital. Peconic Bay Zonta thanks our friends for their support, from all across the United States and reaching all the way from Italy.