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The eighth annual Lavender Graduation ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2020, in Elstad Auditorium from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. The ceremony is open to the university community and the public. After the ceremony, a private reception will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Multipurpose Room in JSAC. The reception is by invitation only for graduates and their invited guests and advocates.
The Gallaudet University community is invited to attend and cheer on graduates during the Lavender Graduation Ceremony, which is open to the public and held in Elstad Auditorium with seating available on a first-come basis.
Attendance at the reception is by invitation only. Members of the Lavender Graduation Class of 2020 may invite their designated advocates (a fellow student or member of the staff or faculty) in addition to a limited number of guests; additionally, a limited number of supportive administrators, staff, and faculty will be invited to attend.
The acronym LGBTQIA+ represents a broad array of various sexual orientations and gender identities including (but not limited to):
The LGBTQA Resource Center welcomes attendance by allies to LGBTQIA+ people, in a show of support. Allies are those who take a stand when injustices occur against LGBTQA individuals and communities, but who are careful to honor and center the experiences of those who are themselves LGBTQIA+.
It is important to note that the term, "ally" is not a self-defining term or identity. It is earned. Jamie Washington and Nancy J. Evans' (1991) definition of an ally, one of the most comprehensive definitions in the current literature, describes an ally as:
"A person who is a member of the ‘dominant' or ‘majority' group who works to end oppression in his or her personal and professional life through support of, and as an advocate with and for, the oppressed population" (Washington & Evans, 1991). We encourage you to read Washington and Evans' article, "Becoming an Ally," before doing so. In their article, Washington and Evans explore factors associated with ally development, the importance of recognizing heterosexual and cisgender privilege, motivations for becoming an ally, the practice of advocacy, important points for allies to know, and positive and negative consequences of allyship and advocacy. The PDF of the article is available here: http://bit.ly/2ktZWM8.
While, in the past, allies were permitted to register and participate in the ceremony, we are no longer doing that. One of the tenements of allyship is that every effort must be made to uplift oppressed and marginalized communities as much as possible. Lavender Graduation celebrates the achievements of LGBTQIA+ persons who have overcome enormous challenges to finish school. We must honor them. That said, we do appreciate our allies and thank you for standing with us.
The concept of the Lavender Graduation ceremony originated in 1995 with Dr. Ronni Sanlo, a Jewish lesbian who was denied the opportunity to attend her children's college graduation from the University of Michigan because of her sexual orientation. Dr. Sanlo realized that LGBTQIA+ students of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds needed to be recognized for "not only their achievements but for surviving their college years" in campus environments that were less than supportive (Sanlo, 2000). The graduation began with a mission of helping LGBTQIA+ students to feel more connected to their institution and invited to celebrate their identities.
The color lavender plays a historic role in LGBTQA history and has considerable significance to the LGBTQA community. It is a combination of the pink triangle that gay men were forced to wear in concentration camps and the black triangle designating lesbians as political prisoners in Nazi Germany. The LGBTQA rights movement took these symbols of hatred and combined them to make symbols of pride and community.
Thanks to the hard work and pioneering efforts of LGBTQIA+ students, staff, faculty members, and alumni, Gallaudet University celebrated its first Lavender Graduation on May 8, 2012. The Lavender Graduation tradition has since continued annually at Gallaudet, most recently under the auspices of the LGBTQA Resource Center, a unit of Multicultural Student Development and Mentoring, which is overseen by the Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The 2020 Lavender Graduation is the ninth annual event here at Gallaudet University.
Lavender Graduation is coordinated annually by the LGBTQA Resource Center with support from paraprofessionals in the division of Multicultural Student Development and Mentoring, along with significant support from LGBTQIA+ students, staff, faculty, alumni, and supporters. Lavender Graduation would not be possible without the support of the president, provost, vice presidents and deans. We are also grateful for the professional contributions of the departments of Campus Activities and Gallaudet Interpreting Service (GIS).
We always welcome volunteers! Because Lavender Graduation is an event that will continue for years to come, we especially encourage first-year and sophomore students to step forward and help with the planning so that when it's your turn to graduate, you will already know how this event is run!
Volunteers are needed to assist the LGBTQA Resource Center with event development and planning, setup and decoration, and cleaning and takedown following event.
If you are interested in volunteering, please email lavender.graduation@gallaudet.edu.
If you are a Gallaudet University student who will graduate in May 2020 and identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, or asexual, you may register for Lavender Graduation 2020. We will be checking with the Registrar's office to confirm your eligibility to graduate. Registration is required in order to participate in Lavender Graduation, to receive a Lavender Diploma, stole, and tassel, and to attend the Lavender Graduation Reception.
As a registered participant, you will be allowed to bring a few guests to the reception, as well as your advocates. The ceremony itself is open to the public.
No. Lavender Graduation is free to participating graduates and attendees.
The Lavender Graduation Ceremony is open to the Gallaudet University community, including students, staff, faculty members, and alumni. As a member of the Class of 2019, you are encouraged to invite your family, friends, and supporters to attend the Ceremony, as well.
The Lavender Graduation reception, however, is by invitation only. You may invite two guests in addition to your designated advocate, who will be honored publicly during the Lavender Graduation ceremony; your additional two guests may be family, friends, or supporters from on or off-campus.
The Lavender Graduation Ceremony has a slightly formal, celebratory, and intimate feel. "Business casual" or "business" dress is encouraged; however, you are not required to wear your graduation cap and gown. We recognize and celebrate the full range of gender identities and expressions, and respect the right of individuals to determine how they are most comfortable dressing with respect to this semi-formal occasion.
No! You are encouraged to participate in both ceremonies. Lavender Graduation is held on Wednesday, May 15, while Commencement will be held Friday, May 17, 2019.
If you participate in the Lavender Graduation ceremony, you will receive a purple stole and tassel. Most Lavender Graduates choose to swap out the blue and gold tassel that comes with their mortarboard and instead their purple Lavender Graduation tassel along with their purple stole over their graduation regalia (cap and gown) during Commencement.
No, you do not. Lavender Graduation celebrates all sorts of achievements by LGBTQIA+ students regardless of level of activism or involvement with the LGBTQIA+ community at Gallaudet University. We recognize that individuals all have their unique journeys, challenges, and indispensable threads in the fabric of our University LGBTQIA+ community.
However, we will stress, that the word "ally" is not a self-identifying term and allyship is a lifetime commitment. We encourage people to not take the term lightly.
Admissions Requirements
Spring 2021 – Dec 12Fall 2021 – May 15