LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On April 24, as part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Lake Family Resource Center’s Rape Crisis Center sponsored “Denim Day-Lake County.”

SayNoToViolence.Org explains that “Denim Day grew out of a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore skinny jeans. The judge reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she helped her assailant remove them, implying consent. People all over the world were outraged, and wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes and myths surrounding sexual assault, thus, Denim Day was born.”

Lake Family Resource Center would like to thank all of the “Denim Day-Lake County” participating organizations for their support of sexual assault victim/survivors  and making it a huge success.

Those organizations include Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Twin Pine Casino, the Lake County District Attorney's Office and its Victim-Witness Division, Lake County Administration, County Counsel's Office, Lake County Board of Supervisors, courthouse employees, Kathy Fowler Chevrolet, Healthy Start, St. Helena Hospital, Lake County Probation, Yuba College, First Five,  Konocti Vista Casino, Tribal TANF, Lucerne Senior Center, Clearlake Senior Center, Umpqua Bank - Lakeport, West America Bank - Lakeport, National Bank of the Redwoods - Lakeport, Bank of America - Lakeport, Mendo Lake Credit Union - Lakeport, Washington Mutual Bank - Lakeport, Bank of the West - Lakeport, Dr. Dhanda’s office, Clearlake Dental, Mendocino Community Health Center, United Christian Perish, Taco Bell - Lakeport, Kentucky Fried Chicken - Lakeport and Lower Lake.  

Altogether 2,056 pins, 299 flyers and 57 posters were distributed to the community.

Lake Family Resource Center also received a cash donation from Umpqua Bank in Lakeport and from Mendocino Community Health Center.  These organizations playfully “fined” staff for “break(ing) the dress code and break(ing) the silence (the Denim Day tag line).

Lake Family Resource Center Rape Crisis Center offers free services including a 24/7 Community Crisis Line (1-888-485-7733) answered by trained sexual assault advocates.  

The Rape Crisis Center provides individual counseling, support, education, safety plans, hospital /law enforcement accompaniment and advocacy for all victims of sexual assault.

If you would like to make a donation or have any questions regarding Denim Day please contact Gina Pilat at 707-279-0563, Extension 203, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Gina Pilat is a Rape Crisis Center advocate for Lake Family Resource Center in Lake County, Calif.