On May 1, UNMC will host its inaugural Lavender Graduation ceremony through the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, joining the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha in hosting these annual celebrations.
Lavender Graduation is a ceremony conducted to honor LGTBQ+ students and their allies and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the university community.
“Lavender Graduations began as cultural celebrations and welcoming places for the LGBTQ+ university community, as well as acknowledgments of the struggles that many LGBTQ+ students face and celebrations of their achievement,” said Catherine Medici-Thiemann, PhD, Gender and Sexuality Resource Center coordinator.
Lavender Graduations began in the 1990s when many LGBTQ+ graduates could not participate in graduation activities openly with their families, partners and community. The concept was developed by Ronni Sanlo, EdD, a Jewish lesbian who was denied the chance to attend her children’s graduations due to her sexual orientation. Dr. Sanlo hosted the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995 with three participating graduates. Today, Lavender Graduations are celebrated at hundreds of college and university campuses across the U.S.
UNMC’s Lavender Graduation will be held on Monday, May 1, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Olson Atrium of the Wigton Heritage Center on UNMC’s Omaha campus. Refreshments will be served. Family, friends, supporters and members of the university community are invited and welcome to attend. Please RSVP on ENGAGE for yourself and on behalf of anyone outside the med center who plans to attend.
Students who are members or allies of the LGBTQ+ can register for the 2023 Lavender Graduation if they are graduating in May 2023, August 2023, December 2023 or graduated in December 2022 and would like to be recognized either in person or virtually for students not on the Omaha campus. Graduates will receive regalia and a small gift. Please email Dr. Medici-Thiemann with questions.
Congrats to all graduates!