Lavender Graduation
This event has been cancelled
Friday, May 30 2025 at 4:00 PM PDT to
Friday, May 30 2025 at 7:00 PM PDT
Description
Lavender Graduation celebrates LGBTQ+ graduates, their allies, and community. Started 30 years ago at University of Michigan by Dr. Ronni Sanlo. Lavender Graduation was created by Dr. Sanlo, who was denied attending the graduation of her children because of her sexual orientation. She came to understand the pain her own students were experiencing and created the first ever Lavender Graduation. Western Washington University joins over 230 other institutions across the country that hold a Lavender Graduation!
Our Lavender Graduation is the last Friday of May: May 30th from 4-7pm at Flag Plaza (MAC Gym is our rain location). The ceremony consists of an opening light reception, speeches include student and faculty keynotes, our annual Pride Awards honoring students, faculty, staff, clubs, alumni, and community members, the raising of the pride flag, and the cording ceremony where faculty or staff will give graduating students a rainbow cord.
We also celebrate our Legacy Lavender Graduates, which is any Western alumni from previous years. We have legacy grads from as far back as 1990 this year. If you are a legacy graduate or know someone, please spread the word!
Graduates and Legacy Graduates can register here. If they cannot attend, they can fill out the same form to arrange cord pickup. Graduates Fall 2024-Fall 2025 or earlier are welcome to register.
For more information about Lavender Graduation, please visit our website. Lavender Graduation is open to the public, I encourage all faculty, staff, and students to attend!
The Centers for Student Access, Community, and Intercultural Engagement are also hosting celebrations from the Disability Access and Outreach Centers, La Plaza, Black Student Coalition, and Blue Resource Center. More information can be found on the commencement website.
For accommodation requests, please email lgbtq@wwu.edu. We are waiting for confirmation, but we plan for this event to be ASL interpreted. This event will have photography and videography from University Communications & Marketing Visual Media Production team. Students who do not wish to be filmed or photographed can still receive their cord after the main ceremony or pick up their cord after the event.