WHEREAS, the United States government has declared April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the organization known as Peace Over Violence has declared April 27, 2022, as Denim Day; and

WHEREAS, Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Denim Day were also instituted to call attention to misconceptions and misinformation about sexual violence and the problem that many people in our society remain disturbingly uninformed with respect to issues of sexual harassment, assault, abuse, and rape; and

WHEREAS, Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a time to draw attention to the crime of sexual assault, which can happen to anyone regardless of gender, race, education, religion, sexual orientation, or economic class; and

WHEREAS, members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives strongly support the efforts of Peace Over Violence and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Oklahoma City to educate persons in our state about the true impact of sexual harassment, abuse, assault, and rape in Oklahoma.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 2ND SESSION OF THE 58TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:

THAT the Oklahoma House of Representatives does hereby proclaim the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and does hereby designate April 27, 2022, as Denim Day and urges everyone to wear jeans on this day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse and there is never an invitation to harass, abuse, assault, or rape.