Events held in Las Vegas this April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and Tuesday is SAAM Day of Action.

To show support for survivors of sexual assault, you can wear teal, which has been designated the official color for sexual assault awareness.

Another noteworthy day this month is on Wednesday, April 26, which is called “Denim Day.” Established in 1999 to support survivors of sexual assault, the campaign started after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court in 1992 in which a rape conviction was overturned because the justices believed that since the victim was wearing, tight jeans, she must have helped take them off, implying consent.

The day after the ruling, women in the Italian Parliament went to work wearing jeans.

This is a common rape myth, where some think it matters what a victim is wearing when that’s not the case, research indicates. A project done at The University of Arkansas in 2013 called “What Were You Wearing” helps show that it doesn’t matter what someone wears when being sexually assaulted.

The installation was created by Jen Brockman and Dr. Mary Wyandt-Hiebert, whose intention was to help the community to stop victim blaming and to debunk the rape myth of assuming what someone was wearing caused them to be attacked.

Hosted by Signs of Hope, there are a couple of events taking place in Southern Nevada this month as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

One event is the Sexual Assault Awareness Community Care Event + Sex Ed happening on Saturday, April 15, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada, 401 S Maryland Pkwy.

Another event, “In April, We Wear Teal,” is taking place on Wednesday, April 19, from 1:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. at Nevada State College in the Rogers Student Center lobby.