Lavender is not just a sweet-smelling flower anymore, it is a graduation ceremony coordinated by the LGBTQ+ Resource Center.
The point of Lavender graduation is to celebrate seniors taking place on April 24 in David L. Eisler Center Founder’s Room 203.
Lavender Graduation celebrates students in the LGBTQ community. Only they receive not just rainbow cords and stoles but recognition for their many achievements and contributions to campus, all while working the same way as a regular commencement. This year marks the second annual Lavender Graduation at Ferris.
LGBTQ+ Resource Center Coordinator Becca Osborne organized the event.
“It’s a smaller kind of recognition ceremony tailored towards our LGBTQ students and allies. It doesn’t replace regular commencement, I can’t give somebody their diploma or say whether or not they can graduate and that type of thing,” Osborne said. “But they the students who participate, get a rainbow cord and stole and tassel that they can wear at graduation if they want and it’s just a nice way to recognize them,”
Osborne then explains how there is a PowerPoint that students can access that asks them what degree they are graduating with, what they want to do after graduating and so on. During a ceremony like the Lavender Graduation, students in the LGBTQ community can get the same commencement experience and not have to worry about the overwhelming pressure of regular commencement from large crowds of students. Osborne also mentioned that this year, she has had around 20 people sign up with the hybrid option, where students could attend over Zoom.
“It’s just a way to highlight our students who are either LGBTQ or identify as allies in just a more personal space. So that way they get that recognition. Some people maybe wouldn’t feel comfortable at something like commencement with such a large crowd of people. It might be a better option for them if they choose not to attend another graduation ceremony,” Osborne said. “I think it’s nice for the Ferris community to see like we support our LGBTQ students and allies and there are you know things that we want to do to support them and recognize them for their hard work and accomplishments.”
With support from the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, students can celebrate their achievements and feel comfortable at their graduation. This wasn’t always the case. The Ferris State Lavender Graduation started in 2018, but the origins of Lavender graduation date back to the 90s.
According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation on the Human Rights Campaign, Lavender Graduation was created by Dr. Ronnie Sanlo, a mother who was denied access to her children’s graduation ceremony because of her sexual orientation as a lesbian woman.
What started as a small ceremony with just three people, now has become a nationwide annual event, where students like social work senior Nora Fiero can have their accomplishments acknowledged by all. Fiero expressed her opinion on Lavender Graduation as well as on graduating.
“I think it’s good to have a space where students can be not only recognized for their achievements and graduating, but making sure it’s a space that’s safe and affirming of their like gender and sexual identity,” Fiero said. “I think that’s important and to just kind of take that moment as a community and celebrate together like, yay we did it.”
For more information on Ferris’ Lavender Graduation, students can visit the Ferris Calendar.
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