Senate Joint Resolution 25-018

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 25-018

BY SENATOR(S) Winter F. and Frizell, Amabile, Baisley, Ball, Bridges, Bright, Carson, Catlin, Cutter, Danielson, Daugherty, Exum, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kirkmeyer, Kolker, Liston, Lundeen, Marchman, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Pelton B., Pelton R., Rich, Roberts, Rodriguez, Simpson, Snyder, Sullivan, Wallace, Weissman, Coleman;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Duran and Pugliese, Armagost, Bacon, Barron, Bird, Boesenecker, Bottoms, Bradfield, Bradley, Brooks, Brown, Caldwell, Camacho, Carter, Clifford, English, Espenoza, Feret, Froelich, Garcia, Garcia Sander, Gilchrist, Gonzalez R., Hamrick, Hartsook, Jackson, Johnson, Joseph, Keltie, Lieder, Lindsay, Lindstedt, Luck, Lukens, Mabrey, Marshall, Martinez, McCormick, Paschal, Phillips, Richardson, Ricks, Rutinel, Rydin, Sirota, Smith, Soper, Stewart K., Stewart R., Story, Suckla, Taggart, Titone, Valdez, Velasco, Weinberg, Woodrow, McCluskie.

CONCERNING SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, RECOGNIZING APRIL AS SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH AND DESIGNATING APRIL 30, 2025, AS COLORADO DENIM DAY.

WHEREAS, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) officially began in 2001, though the movement to raise awareness for and put an end to sexual violence can be traced back much further; and

WHEREAS, Decades of activism and persistence by survivors and advocates led to the founding of the first rape crisis center in the United States in 1971 and the passage of legislation and funding to support survivors, including the "Violence Against Women Act of 1994" (VAWA); and

WHEREAS, The Denim Day campaign was originally spurred in 1998 when the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction after the justices believed that, because the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her rapist remove her pants, thereby implying consent; and

WHEREAS, The following day, women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans to show their solidarity with the victim, and the following year, the Denim Day campaign began in the United States, where participants are encouraged to wear jeans, symbolizing protest against attitudes condoning sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) has served as the collective voice for sexual assault survivors and service providers in public policy initiatives, education, training, and collaborative efforts for more than four decades and has worked with the Colorado General Assembly to pass laws that provide protection and support for survivors of sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, Since 2013, CCASA has hosted Colorado Denim Day, thereby continuing the movement of political representation for sexual assault survivors and bringing necessary awareness toward the issue of sexual assault to the Colorado community; and

WHEREAS, The Colorado Denim Day 2025 theme is "Denim Isn't Always Denim: Believe Survivors, Act Together, Prevent Violence", highlighting the importance of recognizing that vulnerable communities face increased risks of sexual violence due to their intersecting identities; and

WHEREAS, Supportive services are a critical mechanism to stabilize and support survivors, and service providers across Colorado continue to face funding cuts and threats to programming, especially culturally specific services and those in rural communities; and

WHEREAS, Few resources are allocated to preventing sexual violence, yet primary prevention strategies promote safe and supportive communities for all; and

WHEREAS, Denim Day is an opportunity to bring attention to the failures of the legal system to take sexual assault seriously and support survivors, such as the current sexual assault evidence kit backlog in the Colorado Bureau of Investigation that has left survivors waiting, on average, 560 days to receive results and obstructed survivors' ability to seek justice, safety, and healing; and

WHEREAS, Continued action is needed to further expand support services, treat survivors with respect and care, and prevent sexual violence throughout the state so that we can all continue doing what we do in denim without fear of experiencing sexual violence; and

WHEREAS, Recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Denim Day and bringing attention to the ongoing effort to put an end to sexual violence remain critically important; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, recognize April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and designate April 30, 2025, as Colorado Denim Day, a statewide event aligning with Denim Day events across the world, and we are proud to recognize CCASA and other organizations that work to unite Colorado communities in support of ending sexual violence.

Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of this Joint Resolution be sent to Sareen Lambright Dale, Board President of CCASA.