Mirror photo by Cati Keith
Counselors Jen Walk and Colleen Lingafelt of Family Services look at the shirts hung up at the Altoona Area Public Library for The Clothesline Project, which helps raise awareness for sexual assault, abuse and violence.
A collection of about 20 shirts, decorated with messages and drawings, took up a portion of the Altoona Area Public Library on Thursday as part of an effort to raise awareness about sexual violence and assault.
The Clothesline Project Display offers a chance for individuals who have been affected, either directly or indirectly, by sexual violence to express themselves and to show others that rape, abuse and sexual assault does exist in the county.
“You will see images of hope, messages to abusers and messages to themselves and other survivors,” Ashley Gay Vocco said.
Gay Vocco, victim service program director with Family Service Inc., said the display is important because many people don’t believe sexual violence is a problem or they believe the victim could have done something to stop the attack.
“When we talk about misconceptions, we have all these ridiculous thoughts and opinions about what a rape survivor or victim should do or be,” Gay Vocco said.
Mirror photo by Cati Keith
Shirts of various colors were created by victims of sexual assault, abuse and violence and are on display at the Altoona Area Public Library for The Clothesline Project.
Misconceptions include thoughts that the victim’s clothes somehow brought on the attack, or the victim should have been able to fight off the attack, she said.
A lot of people respond to fear in different ways, and it is usually to fight or freeze, Gay Vocco said.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising public awareness about sexual violence, and the Clothesline Project is a very visual reminder, she said.
The colors of the shirts represent different incidents — red and pink are symbols for survivors of rape or sexual assault, blue and green for survivors of childhood sexual assault or incest, and white is for those who lost their lives.
“The kid ones in particular are pretty impactful,” Gay Vocco said.
The local Clothesline Project Display was started by Danette Reidy Lee, a volunteer, who brought the concept to Blair County in the 1990s, said Cheryl Gonsman, victim services direct supervisor.
Lee saw a Clothesline Project Display in Washington, D.C., and her shirt, made by her police officer nephew, was the first one in Blair County’s collection.
“The design was two faces, a happy face that she always wore and the sad face that was just below the surface,” Gonsman said.
The local project began with Lee’s shirt and borrowed shirts from other counties’ collections. But in the third year of the project, Blair County had enough of its own and no longer needed to borrow them.
Still, with a collection of about 150 shirts, “this is such a small representation of the many voices that don’t get heard,” Gonsman said. “It is very powerful to see.”
Gay Vocco said some Clothesline displays include the actual outfits or replicas of what the victims were wearing at the time they were assaulted.
“That is powerful — when you see something like an elderly size XXXL house coat or the uniform of a three-year-old, those are nothing society deems as sexy,” Gay Vocco said.
The assaults are never about attraction, she said, but about power and control.
Display planned for next week
Jennifer Knisely said the library was happy to host the display and to “help make people more aware of issues related to sexual assault in our area.”
As part of the display, a room was set aside where victims and those affected by sexual violence could create a shirt that incorporates their own images and voices. Those shirts will then be added to the county’s collection.
For anyone who missed the display or who wants to make a shirt to add to the collection, the Clothesline Project Display will be hosted at Barnes and Noble from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 20.
Just like at the library, Family Services staff will be on hand to talk about the project and offer help to those in need. Services are free and confidential.
“We want to give people a chance to have their voices heard,” Gay Vocco said.
On April 28, Family Services will host its annual Sexual Assault Awareness Month Lunch and Learn at the American Legion Social Hall. This year’s topic is Back to Basics: Sexual Assault 101 and Rape Culture. The event is free, includes a free lunch and will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information or to register, visit familyservicesinc.net/lunch-and-learn/ or call 814-944-3583.
Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.