Baldwin Wallace University’s LGBTQ+ task force will be celebrating the accomplishments of graduating senior’s identifying with the LGBTQ+ community on April 24 with its 7th annual Lavender Graduation Ceremony.
This ceremony, first celebrated at BW in 2019, was created to provide students with an event that specifically celebrates their accomplishments, both as a student and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Senior Jena Parks and President of BW Pride Hive said that while they think there isn’t a lot of opportunity for individuals identifying with the LGBTQ+ community to feel proud of their accomplishments at BW, this event is one way “that this campus allows us to find joy…and to come together as a community and celebrate one another.”
LGBTQ+ services coordinator, Ana de Frietas Boe Ph.D., said that this ceremony, organized by the LGBTQ+ task force and partnering with the Center for Inclusion, allows BW and the surrounding community to celebrate participating students.
“Part of what the Lavender Graduation Ceremony allows us to do is really celebrate all the parts of the graduates.” Boe said.
This ceremony, though relatively new to BW, began in the early 1990s when the University of Michigan wanted to create an event that allowed students to be their full selves for an event like graduation while also addressing the issue of graduates feeling like they couldn’t be their full selves.
“In the early 1990s, at the University of Michigan, they decided that they wanted to create a ceremony for LGBTQIA+ graduates, and essentially the issue is that lots of people can’t be out to their families, or at least out to their immediate family. So, for LGBTQ youth, it creates a sort of challenge of you don’t actually get to be your full self on this very important day of your life.” Boe said.
This ceremony is not only a way to recognize seniors’ accomplishments, but also to celebrate joy.
“I think it [the Lavender Graduation Ceremony] promotes queer joy and it is one of the only celebrations that is specifically celebrating queer accomplishment.” Said Parks.
The Lavender Graduation ceremony allows participating seniors to be recognized for their accomplishments as students at BW and receive a stole to mark their achievements during their college careers.
Despite this, members of the LGBTQ+ task force recognize that not every senior receiving one of these stoles marking their academic achievements as individuals in the LGBTQ+ community, will be able to wear them at BW’s official graduation ceremony in early May.
“We have students who being a queer person is important to them, but it creates so much conflict in their family… We definitely have some students who will get a stole and not able to wear it, but this doesn’t mean that it isn’t hugely meaningful for them.” Boe said.
Not only is this event supported through the LGBTQ+ task forces and their partners, but this event is also supported through the university itself.
“I feel like we’ve been pretty lucky, being two years into a pretty serious budget deficit, and BW up until this moment, has found a way to support LGBTQ+ services.” Boe said.
Though this event was created with the intent to celebrate students identifying with the LGBTQ+ community, Parks said that “the Lavender Graduation Ceremony is for everyone,” and all students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend and participate in the ceremony taking place on April 23.
“We are defining the community very inclusively, because if you go through all of those letters, the last ‘A’ actually means ally, so truly all are welcome in being a part of that broader LGBTQIA+ community.” Boe said.
