Lavender Graduation is an annual ceremony conducted on numerous campuses to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, intersex, queer, asexual/aromantic, and ally students to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the University. The Lavender Graduation Ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, a Jewish Lesbian, who was denied the opportunity to attend the graduations of her biological children because of her sexual orientation. It was through this experience that she came to understand the pain felt by her students. Encouraged by the Dean of Students at the University of Michigan, Dr. Sanlo designed the first Lavender Graduation Ceremony in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation began at the University of Michigan in 1995, with three graduates. By 2001, there were over 45 Lavender Graduation Ceremonies at Colleges and Universities nationwide. Graduating students, including undergraduates and graduates, are invited to take part in the celebration, which typically occurs each year the week prior to university-wide commencement events.
Celebrating a graduation of a student, friend or family member? Make the special occasion more meaningful by donating to HRC in their honor to support our work toward LGBTQ+ equality. When you give a gift membership of any amount, in addition to providing resources for HRC's fight for full equality, you and the student receiving the gift will receive an annual membership to HRC.
Additionally, the recipient will receive an HRC exclusive rainbow tassel.
For decades students at colleges and universities around the country have been celebrating both their academic achievements and their cultural heritages at specialized commencement events. Many of these events are student-initiated and usually occur during the university-wide commencement weekend. These events provide a sense of community for marginalized students who often experience tremendous culture shock at their impersonalized institutions. For many students they are the payoff for staying in school, and friends and families find the smaller, more cultural ceremonies both meaningful and personal.
Lavender Graduation is an event that LGBTQ+ students look forward to, not only to share their hopes and dreams with one another, but where their unique LGBTQ+ student experience is officially recognized and celebrated by the institution. This ceremony is a cultural celebration that recognizes LGBTQ+ students of all races and ethnicities and acknowledges their leadership, success, achievements and contributions to the university as students who survived the college experience.
Through such recognition, LGBTQ+ students may leave the university with a positive last experience with the institution and thereby encourage them to become involved mentors for current students as well as financially contributing alumni.
Lavender is important to LGBTQ+ history. 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 LGBTQ+ civil rights movement took these symbols of hatred and combined them to make symbols and color of pride and community.
Lavender flowers are often a main theme at Lavender Ceremonies, and for some institutions, a sachet of lavender will be gifted to the graduates.
Institutions are organized by state
Alabama -
University of Alabama
Alaska -
University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Arizona-
University of Arizona
Arkansas-
Arkansas State University
Lyon College
University of Central Arkansas
University of Arkansas – Fayetteville
California -
Butte College
California College of the Arts
California Polytechnic State University - Cal Poly
California State University, Bakersfield
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Maritime Academy
California State University, Northridge
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont McKenna College
Copper Mountain College
Foothill College
Harvey Mudd College
Keck Graduate Institute
Loyola Marymount University
Mills College
Moreno Valley College
Mt. San Jacinto College
Occidental College
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Saint Mary's College of California
Samuel Merritt University
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
Santa Clara University
Scripps College
Stanford University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Merced
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
Yuba College
Colorado -
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Regis University
University of Colorado, Boulder
Connecticut -
Central Connecticut State University
Eastern Connecticut State University
Fairfield University
Post University
Sacred Heart University
Southern Connecticut State University
University of Connecticut
University of New Haven
Yale University
Florida -
Eckerd College
Flagler College
Florida Atlantic University
Florida International University
Florida State University
Rollins College
Stetson University
University of Central Florida
University of Florida
University of Miami
University of North Florida
University of South Florida
Georgia -
Emory University
Georgia College and State University
Georgia State University
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Tech
University of Georgia
Valdosta State University
Young Harris College
Idaho -
Boise State University
University of Idaho
Illinois -
Bradley University
Eastern Illinois University
Illinois State University
Northern Illinois University
Northwestern University
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
University of Chicago
University of Illinois, Chicago
University of Illinois, Springfield
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Western Illinois University
Indiana -
Ball State University
Butler University
Hanover College
Indiana State University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Indianapolis
Purdue University
University of Notre Dame
University of Southern Indiana
Iowa -
Grand View University
Grinnell College
Iowa State University
Luther College
University of Northern Iowa
University of Iowa
Kansas -
Allen Community College
Kansas State University
University of Kansas
Kentucky -
Centre College
Northern Kentucky University
University of Louisville
University of Kentucky
Western Kentucky University
Louisiana -
Louisiana State University
Tulane University
Maine -
University of Southern Maine
Maryland -
Frostburg State University
Goucher College
Johns Hopkins University
Towson University
University of Maryland
Massachusetts -
Amherst College
Babson College
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Bridgewater State University
Clark University
College of The Holy Cross
Elms College
Emerson College
Frostburg State University
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mount Holyoke College
Northeastern University
Suffolk University
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Wheaton College in Massachusetts
Williams College
Michigan -
Grand Valley State University
Oakland University
Saginaw Valley State University
University of Michigan
Walsh College
Western Michigan University
Minnesota -
Carlton College
Century College
Macalester University
Mississippi -
Mississippi State University
University of Mississippi
Missouri -
Saint Louis University
Stephens College, Columbia, MO
University of Missouri
University of Missouri- Kansas City
University of Missouri - St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Montana -
Montana State University - Bozeman
Nebraska -
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Nevada -
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Reno
New Hampshire -
Dartmouth College
Plymouth State University
University of New Hampshire-Manchester
New Jersey -
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Hudson County Community College
Montclair State University
New Jersey City University
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Princeton University
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Rowan University
Rutgers University
Stockton University
The College of New Jersey
New Mexico -
New Mexico State University
New York -
Adelphi University
Baruch College - CUNY
Binghamton University
Brooklyn College - CUNY
The City College of New York - CUNY
City University of New York - School of Law
City University of New York - School of Public Health and Health Policy
College of Staten Island - CUNY
Colgate University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Farmingdale State College
Guttman Community College - CUNY
Hartwick College
Hofstra University
Ithaca College
John Jay College of Criminal Justice - CUNY
Kingsborough Community College - CUNY
LaGuardia Community College - CUNY
Mohawk Valley Community College
Nazareth University
Queens College - CUNY
Queensborough Community College - CUNY
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
St. John Fisher University
State University of New York, Albany
State University of New York, Buffalo
State University of New York, Geneseo
State University of New York, Old Westbury
State University of New York, Oneonta
State University of New York, Plattsburgh
SUNY Rockland Community College
SUNY Westchester Community College
Stony Brook University
University of Rochester
University of Staten Island-CUNY
Vassar College
York College - CUNY
North Carolina -
Appalachian State University
Duke University
Elon University
North Carolina State University
Queens University of Charlotte
University of North Carolina, Asheville
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Wake Forest University
North Dakota -
University of North Dakota
Ohio -
Baldwin Wallace University
Bowling Green State University
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland State University
College of Wooster
Heidelberg University
John Carroll University
Kent State University
Kenyon College
Miami University
Ohio University
Ohio State University
Shawnee State University
Sinclair College
University of Cincinnati
University of Dayton
University of Findlay
Oklahoma -
University of Oklahoma
Oregon -
Clatsop Community College
Oregon State University
Pacific University
Portland State University
Southern Oregon University
University of Oregon
Western Oregon University
Willamette University
Pennsylvania -
Arcadia University
Bloomsburg University
Bucknell University
California University of Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon University
Dickinson College
Franklin and Marshall College
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown University
Lock Haven University
Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania Western University (California, Clarion, and Edinboro campuses)
Point Park University
Saint Joseph's University
Swarthmore College
Temple University
University of Pittsburgh
Ursinus College
West Chester University of Pennslyvania
Rhode Island -
Brown University
Bryant University
Roger Williams University
University of Rhode Island
South Carolina -
Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
College of Charleston
University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina Upstate
South Dakota -
South Dakota State University
Tennessee -
East Tennessee State University
Rhodes College
University of Tennessee
Vanderbilt University
Texas -
Sam Houston State University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M International University
Texas State University
Texas Tech University
University of Houston
University of North Texas
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Dallas
Utah -
Dixie State University
Southern Utah University
University of Utah
Utah Valley University
Vermont -
Champlain College
University of Vermont
Virginia -
Eastern Mennonite University
Emory & Henry College
George Mason University
James Madison University
The College of William & Mary
Longwood University
University of Richmond
University of Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia State University
Virginia Tech
Washington -
Antioch University, Seattle
Eastern Washington University
Evergreen State College
Pierce College
University of Puget Sound
University of Washington
Washington State University
Western Washington University
Whitman College
West Virginia -
Fairmont State University
West Virginia University
West Liberty University
Wisconsin -
University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Wyoming -
University of Wyoming
If we have missed your university, please contact us and we will update the list.
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