TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) wore jeans and a denim shirt on Wednesday (April 24) in support of Denim Day, calling on other city officials to do the same.

According to a Tainan City Government press release, Denim Day originated in 1992 when a driving instructor sexually assaulted his student, an 18-year-old Italian girl who was wearing tight jeans. The girl reported the incident and prosecuted the assailant.

However, the court’s verdict said the jeans could not have been taken off by herself since they were tight, the city explained. Therefore, the girl had to have asked the man for help to take off her jeans, thus making the sex “consensual.” The verdict caused an international uproar.

Huang called on all city officials to wear denim and oppose gender violence. Holding a sign that read, “Only yes means yes,” the mayor said the message advocates mutual respect and consent.

To combat sexual violence, Huang also mentioned laws like the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act and the Juvenile Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act which came into effect on Feb. 15, 2023, per CNA. Furthermore, penalties have been increased to strengthen the protection of victims and create an equal, respectful, and inclusive society, he added.

Since 2016, Tainan has collaborated with judicial, police, and medical units to improve services for sexual assault victims, the city said. Hospitals like National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Tainan Municipal Hospital provide integrated services for victims of sexual assault, avoiding secondary harm, it added.