Florida Governor Rick Scott Wears Tight Jeans

I am wearing jeans today because...

…Or at least he should.

Why, you ask? Well, today is Denim Day, a national event to raise awareness about sexual assault in the U.S.  The holiday is inspired by a court case in the Italian Supreme Court in 1998 that overturned the conviction of a man who had raped a young woman who had been wearing jeans.  The judge wrote 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”.

Today, all around the U.S., people are wearing denim jeans to demonstrate solidarity with this young woman and the many, many survivors of sexual assault who have been blamed or who blame themselves for what happened to them because of something they wore, someplace they were, something they drank, or any of the many other mechanisms of blame that land on the survivors of these crimes.

I’m wearing jeans today to raise awareness that it was NOT her fault in 1998, it was NOT your fault or mine when it happened to us, and there are NO excuses for sexual assault.

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So this might still leave you wondering what Florida Governor Rick Scott has to do with tight jeans. I shall elaborate...

In the midst of April, the beginning of Spring and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Governor Rick Scott swiftly slashed significant funding from 30 rape crisis centers of Florida. In response to this major cutback, Rick Scott was quoted saying “This new funding of $1.5 million would have been duplicative, since, as a state, we already fund sexual violence programs. There was no information suggesting any needs in this area weren’t already being met”.

The bewildered Florida Council Against Sexual Violence had to pick it’s figurative jaw up off the floor in order to describe to the press precisely how detailed they had indeed been with the governor in explaining the immensity of their current need for funding.  With waiting lists as long as weeks, sometimes months, many survivors of sexual assault in Florida are not receiving the services they need.

Clearly facing an unmet need, Florida is the latest “victim” of a society that exemplifies the profound misunderstanding of the true impact of sexual assault, not only on the individual, but on the community at large.  Governor Rick Scott, who so easily scoffed this budget cut off as a source of unsubstantiated spending, is contributing to a society that places survivors of sexual assault in a perpetual category of other-ness, disconnecting himself (and tragically, the budget that he controls) from the deeply rooted consequences that resonate through our communities in this rape-prone world.

Speaking of which… 

This Denim Day, I call out to our men. Our brothers, fathers, partners, and friends… This month is your time to speak out and to break the cycle. As Tony Porter so eloquently reflects upon in the TED Talk posted below, it's high time that our men step into action.

In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, I implore everyone to take a moment, watch the video below, wear your jeans with purpose and pride, and rise up and reflect on our current state and how we can collectively raise awareness and stop the violence.

I hope that one day that you too, Governor Rick Scott, will put on your jeans in solidarity.