Lavender Graduation 2023

Thursday, April 20, 2023
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Allendale Campus
Alumni, Community, Faculty, Staff, Students

Celebrate the personal and academic achievements of LGBTQIA+ and allied students and recognize their contributions to our campus with us! The event will include welcome remarks, awards, a keynote address, recognition of graduates, and a reception with hors d'oeuvres and music.

Historical Context
Lavender Graduation began in 1995 at the University of Michigan to honor the accomplishments of LGBT and ally graduates. Ronni Sanlo, the director of the resource center at that time, believed LGBT students needed their own graduation ceremony like that of other racial and ethnic minorities on campus. Since 1995, campuses across the country have hosted their own Lavender Graduations to honor the accomplishments of LGBT graduates.

The color lavender is important to LGBT history and culture as it is a combination of pink and black: the colors of triangles gay men and lesbians, respectively, were required to wear as prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. The LGBT rights movement reclaimed these symbols of hatred to create a color symbolizing pride and community.

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Location Information

2204 Kirkhof Center (Pere Marquette)

Allendale, MI 49401

Download parking map for the Allendale Campus

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Finn Marcks at [email protected].

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This event was added to the calendar by Finn Marcks (s_marcksfi@gvsu.edu) on Wednesday, January 18, 2023 and was last updated on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 3:40 p.m.