Lavender Graduation
Students honored at Lavender Graduation ceremony.
Lavender Graduation is an annual ceremony conducted to honor and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students and their allies and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the university community. Family, friends, supporters and members of the university community are invited and welcome to attend.
In 2024, UNMC's Lavender Graduation will be held on Monday, April 29, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Olsen Atrium of the Wigton Heritage Center on UNMC's Omaha campus. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP via ENGAGE.
Please fill out this form to register for Lavender Graduation if you are graduating in May, August, or December 2024 or graduated in December 2023.
Lavender Graduation is organized by the UNMC Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. Please email Catherine Medici-Thiemann with any questions.
The Origin of Lavender Graduation
Lavender Graduations began as cultural celebrations and welcoming places for the LGBTQ+ university community, as well as acknowledgment of the struggles that many LGBTQ+ students face and celebrations of their achievement. Lavender Graduations began in the 1990s when many LGBTQ+ graduates could not participate in graduation activities openly with their families, partners and community. The concept was developed by Ronni Sanlo, EdD, a Jewish lesbian who was denied the chance to attend her children’s graduations due to her sexual orientation. Dr. Sanlo hosted the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995 with three participating graduates. Today, Lavender Graduations are celebrated at hundreds of college and university campuses across the U.S. including some other University of Nebraska campuses.