Senate Joint Resolution 25-018
Page 1, Line 101Concerning Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and, in
Page 1, Line 102connection therewith, recognizing April as Sexual
Page 1, Line 103Assault Awareness Month and designating April 30,
Page 1, Line 1042025, as Colorado Denim Day.
Page 1, Line 1WHEREAS, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) officially
Page 1, Line 2began in 2001, though the movement to raise awareness for and put an end to sexual violence can be traced back much further; and
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Page 1, Line 4WHEREAS, Decades of activism and persistence by survivors and
Page 1, Line 5advocates led to the founding of the first rape crisis center in the United
Page 1, Line 6States in 1971 and the passage of legislation and funding to support
Page 1, Line 7survivors, including the "Violence Against Women Act of 1994" (VAWA); and
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Page 2, Line 1WHEREAS, The Denim Day campaign was originally spurred in
Page 2, Line 21998 when the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction after
Page 2, Line 3the justices believed that, because the victim was wearing tight jeans, she
Page 2, Line 4must have helped her rapist remove her pants, thereby implying consent; and
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Page 2, Line 6WHEREAS, The following day, women in the Italian Parliament
Page 2, Line 7came to work wearing jeans to show their solidarity with the victim, and
Page 2, Line 8the following year, the Denim Day campaign began in the United States,
Page 2, Line 9where participants are encouraged to wear jeans, symbolizing protest against attitudes condoning sexual assault; and
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Page 2, Line 11WHEREAS, The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Page 2, Line 12(CCASA) has served as the collective voice for sexual assault survivors
Page 2, Line 13and service providers in public policy initiatives, education, training, and
Page 2, Line 14collaborative efforts for more than four decades and has worked with the
Page 2, Line 15Colorado General Assembly to pass laws that provide protection and support for survivors of sexual assault; and
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Page 2, Line 17WHEREAS, Since 2013, CCASA has hosted Colorado Denim
Page 2, Line 18Day, thereby continuing the movement of political representation for
Page 2, Line 19sexual assault survivors and bringing necessary awareness toward the issue of sexual assault to the Colorado community; and
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Page 2, Line 21WHEREAS, The Colorado Denim Day 2025 theme is "Denim Isn't
Page 2, Line 22Always Denim: Believe Survivors, Act Together, Prevent Violence",
Page 2, Line 23highlighting the importance of recognizing that vulnerable communities
Page 2, Line 24face increased risks of sexual violence due to their intersecting identities; and
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Page 2, Line 26WHEREAS, Supportive services are a critical mechanism to
Page 2, Line 27stabilize and support survivors, and service providers across Colorado
Page 2, Line 28continue to face funding cuts and threats to programming, especially culturally specific services and those in rural communities; and
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Page 2, Line 30WHEREAS, Few resources are allocated to preventing sexual
Page 2, Line 31violence, yet primary prevention strategies promote safe and supportive communities for all; and
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Page 2, Line 33WHEREAS, Denim Day is an opportunity to bring attention to the
Page 2, Line 34failures of the legal system to take sexual assault seriously and support
Page 2, Line 35survivors, such as the current sexual assault evidence kit backlog in the
Page 3, Line 1Colorado Bureau of Investigation that has left survivors waiting, on
Page 3, Line 2average, 560 days to receive results and obstructed survivors' ability to seek justice, safety, and healing; and
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Page 3, Line 4WHEREAS, Continued action is needed to further expand support
Page 3, Line 5services, treat survivors with respect and care, and prevent sexual
Page 3, Line 6violence throughout the state so that we can all continue doing what we do in denim without fear of experiencing sexual violence; and
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Page 3, Line 8WHEREAS, Recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month and
Page 3, Line 9Denim Day and bringing attention to the ongoing effort to put an end to sexual violence remain critically important; now, therefore,
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Page 3, Line 11Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
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Page 3, Line 13That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly,
Page 3, Line 14recognize April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and designate
Page 3, Line 15April 30, 2025, as Colorado Denim Day, a statewide event aligning with
Page 3, Line 16Denim Day events across the world, and we are proud to recognize
Page 3, Line 17CCASA and other organizations that work to unite Colorado communities in support of ending sexual violence.
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Page 3, Line 19Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of this Joint Resolution be sent to Sareen Lambright Dale, Board President of CCASA.