The Clothesline Project - Student Support and Advocacy Center

The Clothesline Project started in 1990 in Cape Cod, MA to address the issue of violence against women. George Mason joined the movement shortly after. The Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC) has been bringing the project to the Fairfax campus every October since the mid 1990s. The premise of the project is that survivors and their loved ones decorate t-shirts telling their experience with sexual and interpersonal violence and leaving encouraging words for other survivors.

These shirts were decorated by past and present GMU students, their loved ones, and other members of the GMU community. We have shirts ranging from 1998 to 2024 as well as shirts decorated by survivors of all genders.

CONTENT WARNING

The following gallery contains powerful yet sensitive content, including personal stories of sexual and interpersonal violence shared by survivors within the George Mason University (GMU) community. These narratives are shared with courage, vulnerability, and the hope of fostering understanding, awareness, and change.

We encourage you to check in with yourself emotionally and mentally as you engage with this exhibit. It’s okay to pause, take a break, or step away at any point. Please be respectful of the voices represented here as each shirt is a deeply personal expression of pain, resilience, and healing.

If at any point you feel overwhelmed, support is available.