In response to an Italian judge’s ruling on a rape case, an international demonstration is being held today, using jeans as a “canvas of protest.”

The conviction of a 45-year-old man was overturned February in Italy, after a judge ruled that because the 18-year-old victim was wearing jeans at the time of the alleged assault, it would be impossible for him to remove them without her consent.

The Ames/ISU YWCA, located at 15 Alumni Hall, and the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center will have jeans laid out for people to sign in protest of the case.

The signing will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Also, the YWCA and the women’s center is encouraging people to wear jeans today in protest.

Jehan Faisal, program coordinator for YWCA and Take Back the Night Rally, said the Italian ruling legitimizes rape. She said members of the YWCA keep an anti-rape motto in mind when discussing the case.

“We are saying, ‘Whatever we wear; wherever we go; yes means yes and no means no,'” she said.

Faisal, senior in English, said she approves of the dramatic nature of the protest.

“It’s very in-your-face. To hear someone say that it’s OK to rape you if you’re wearing jeans — we must protest this at every turn,” she said. “To have something like jeans be an excuse for rape, it’s difficult for me to fathom.”

Faisal said there is a strong emphasis on the international aspect of the protest. She credits the Italian activists with inspiring the event.

Faisal said she was outraged when she first heard about the ruling.

“If a woman can’t decide whether she wants to wear jeans, how much power do each of us have?” Faisal asked.

Stephanie Heying, co-chairwoman of Take Back the Night, also expressed her shock at the ruling, saying she thought court’s ruling on the case was unfair.

“I know that jeans can be tight, but men can be forceful,” said Heying, freshman in meteorology.

Julie Wooden, sexual assault awareness programmer for the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center, also said she was extremely “frustrated” with the news of the case.

“The basis and the reasoning behind the ruling was just absurd,” she said.

Wooden, graduate student in interdisciplinary graduate studies, said the ruling perpetuates myths about rape, such as if a woman doesn’t physically fight back, she is consenting to sex.

She also is angry that the plaintiff has been criticized for waiting several hours before reporting the alleged assault.

“In reality, some people wait years or never tell [about rape], and that doesn’t make it any less real or any less painful,” Wooden said.

Wooden said the ruling puts the “blame back on the victim.”

“[It implies] that she obviously willingly removed her jeans, and for me, that’s not the point,” she said.

A person could be completely unclothed and change her mind about having sex at the last minute, Wooden said.

“No means no, no matter whatever process you are in,” Wooden said.

Heying said she hopes everybody, including men, show their support for the survivor today.

“I hope men don’t back away from the issues because they’re scared of the idea of rape, that it’s just a ‘female problem,'” she said.

The event is being sponsored and organized by the Committee Against Violence, the Ames/ISU YWCA and the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.

The jeans will be displayed at the April 14 Take Back the Night Rally, and afterward, they will be delivered to the Italian Parliament as a show of protest.