Airing out their secrets
By Brett Noble
May 21, 2008 10:22 p.m.
A small, blue shirt blows in the wind, attached by two clothespins to a string hung between trees in Schoenberg Plaza.
“You told me that it was a dream, that it never happened … but now I live with the nightmare,” it reads in yellow glue.
Representing an anonymous child, the shirt is one of hundreds on display this week as part of the UCLA Clothesline Project, which educates about the dangers of sexual violence.
The Clothesline Project was founded in 1990 by the Cape Cod Women’s Club and has since expanded to become a national awareness campaign.
In its 12th year, UCLA’s project is the largest of its kind in the country.
Each shirt in the project tells a unique story of pain, recovery or the search for personal strength following tragedy.
“Just like a starfish, my legs will soon grow back, and I will stand again,” a yellow shirt reads.
The shirts, which are color-coded based on personal experiences and types of sexual violence, are meant to symbolize the “airing of dirty laundry,” according to a program brochure.
“It’s very therapeutic for survivors to relate their experiences to the world in a tangible way,” said Haley Boyan, a fourth-year communication studies student and co-internal director of the project.
The shirts on display at UCLA are made by students, faculty and employees, as well as children and women from rape victim shelters in the L.A. area. The group also has a tent set up for survivors to make their own shirts to hang on the line.
A box of tissues is available for visitors perusing the shirts, which evoked strong emotional responses with their deeply personal messages and expressions of creativity.
A young couple walked through the exhibit hand in hand, as a group of high school students and some senior citizens also walked through the display.
Ruth, who declined to give her last name, is a clinical psychologist in Santa Monica who works with sexually abused children. She visited the Clothesline Project for the first time on Wednesday and was moved by her experiences in the field and as a survivor herself.
“I really encourage my students to take part in this and get it all out in the open,” she said.
The Clothesline Project committee, affiliated with the Center for Women and Men, also holds presentations to spotlight certain issues each year, such as “Rape as a Tool of War in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” this year’s topic.
The number of shirts submitted has increased each year, and organizers are optimistic that discussing such issues in the open can foster understanding. For survivors of sexual violence and abuse, the shirts offer a chance to express anger, move past shame or refuse to stay silent.
“Some people don’t completely understand what we’re doing, but the majority are incredibly supportive and are moved by it,” said Jessica Deas, a fourth-year global studies student and co-director of UCLA Clothesline.
