"Denim Day" - Stand Against Sexual Assault

Wisdom Quarterly; Fashion.BroadwayWorld.com; DenimDayUSA.org

Butthead (left) and Beavis don denim on D-Day. Now stand  up. (Mike Judge/MTV)

 

(DenimDayUSA.org)

In the wake of recent rape cases in DENIM DAY in LA and the USA.

Steubenvile, Ohio and San Francisco, California involving teens posting images of the attacks online, people everywhere are invited to take a stand against sexual assault on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013: Participate in

Men and women everywhere wear denim jeans to raise awareness about the preventable catastrophe of sexual violence and to support survivors of sexual assault.
  

Whenever, free to wear whatever!

Now in its 14th year, Denim Day is organized annually by the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Peace Over Violence. The campaign, held each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, recalls an Italian court case that sparked international outrage when judges did not convict a rapist because the victim wore jeans. The judges ruled that because the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her attacker remove them, thus implying consent.

"Once again, this is a chance to make a social statement with your fashion statement," said Patti Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence. "Stand with us to raise awareness about rape and to support survivors."

With the slogan "There is No Excuse and Never an Invitation to Rape," Denim Day will be marked with events around the US, including rallies on college campuses and military bases.

Additionally, Denim Day in LA and Denim Day NYC will host high-profile events with local elected officials and celebrities in those cities.

Is Lindsay Lohan the friend or foe of progress? (NYDN)

Tenacious D (Jack Black and Kyle Gass) and comic actress Retta (NBC's Parks & Recreation) will be among the headliners at "Distressed," an all-star comedy show on Denim Day at Lexington Social House in Hollywood.

Also in Los Angeles, students in public middle schools and high schools will take part in Denim Day assemblies and events, thanks to district-wide recognition of the campaign.

• Register at denimdayusa.org where more than a million supporters from schools, corporations, and gov't agencies have already signed up to wear jeans in solidarity.

Former (literal) Nazi Pope Angers Jews

NOTE: WQ's interfaith efforts seek to understand the world. The pope (like the Dalai Lama, gay activist Rabbi Eger, and Miss California) is a political figure. So he...*

Although some deny it, and most Catholics are unaware of it, Pope Benedict XVI was in fact -- by his own admission in his memoirs -- a member of the Nazi Youth (NPR). This was in Germany, the pope's home (or father) land, as European correspondent Sylvia Poggioli reports on NPR today.

• Listen Now (Morning Edition)
• The Pope's Visit to Israel (NPR)

It was, he explains, compulsory service. Church leaders of course play this down, but some go so far as to deny it. It should therefore come as no real surprise that Israel is up in arms over the pontiff's visit to the Christian holy land.

• VIDEO: War of Words, the Pope in Israel
• Vatican defends Benedict from Israeli criticism

The pope's stated aim is to reconcile with the Jews [now that they are a world power on par with the Church], which it is "irrevocably committed" to doing. He stated this to Israel's two chief rabbis. Will Jews worldwide accept the offer? Will Catholics accept homosexuality in the clergy? Gay marriage? Child molestation? Hypocrisy?

• American Nazi Demjanjuk now being held in German prison
• Former Catholic archbishop's shocking admission: He's gay
• Jewish lesbian gay-marriage activist heads Board of Rabbis

Morning Edition, May 12, 2009 · Pope Benedict XVI visited two of the key religious sites of Islam and Judaism today, Jerusalem's Temple Mount and the Western Wall. On the second day of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he also had separate meetings with Muslim and Jewish leaders. His visit has revealed just how delicate a political minefield the Holy Land can be for the pope. Steve Inskeep talks with NPR's Sylvia Poggioli about reaction to his visit.

Miss California keeps her crown, defends her speech
Carrie Prejean speaks out now that she is allowed to retain her crown and title despite a recent teen sexual photo scandal and comments opposing gay marriage. She holds back tears

• Watch Prejean's emotional moment
• ACatholicView.blogspot.com: Miss California

Pretty, pampered dummy for free speech

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PHOTOS: Nazi Youth symbol, Pope Benedict (middle-east-online.com); Miss California Carrie Prejean (OMG).

Pageant leader resigns
Miss California USA director Shanna Moakler says she no longer believes in the pageant. Her bold words

*So he, not Catholicism, is being scrutinized. The pope is the titular head of the Church, not an accurate representative of a billion plus Catholics worldwide. The same is true of Jews not represented by Israel or NPR. But most of all it is true of Californians who reject a beauty pageant contestant dubbed "Miss California" even when she defends freedom of speech and sexy photos while decrying expanded marriage rights.