History of Lavender Graduation

Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds of institutions across the nation and the Pride Alliance is honored to add UNT’s name to that list.

Lavender Graduation, Fall 2020

Attention Queer and Trans UNT Fall 2020 Graduates!

Please join us for the Fall 2020 Lavender Graduation Ceremony, a collaboration of the Pride Alliance and Women's and Gender Studies at the University of North Texas.

Registration for this event is open to all UNT undergraduate and graduate students who have applied for Fall Graduation 2020. The event is also open to any Spring or Summer 2020 graduates who did not get to participate due to COVID.

The ceremony will be hosted by the Pride Alliance and Women's and Gender Studies and held on Monday, 11/30/2020 via Zoom. Entrance to the event will open at 6:45pm and the ceremony will begin at 7:00pm.

Participants are encouraged to invite family, friends, significant others, professors, mentors, etc. to attend the ceremony. The ceremony will include a history of Lavender Graduation, recognition of the graduates, and presentation of certificates and rainbow stoles as well as other graduation regalia. Further information will be provided once you have completed the registration. We welcome any students, faculty, staff, and community members to attend to celebrate our graduates.

If you need an accommodation to fully participate in an event because of a disability, please contact the Pride Alliance at pridealliance@unt.edu and/or 940.565.2589. For voice access, dial 1-800-RELAYTX (735-2989). Please make the request as soon as possible to allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.