Lavendar Graduation to honor LGBTQ students
The second annual Lavender Graduation ceremony will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday (April 28) in the Purdue Memorial Union, Anniversary Drawing Room.
Lavender Graduation honors students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) by bringing together members of their communities and their allies to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates with particular recognition for the ways in which sexuality, affectionality and gender have influenced their journey toward graduation. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was held in 1995 at the University of Michigan and is a common celebration held throughout the nation. The ceremony was created by Ronni Sanlo, professor at California State University, Fullerton.
The event, sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and hosted by the LGBTQ Advisory Board, is aimed at making Purdue a more inclusive and welcoming campus community. The 2011 keynote speaker will be Melissa Exum, vice president for student affairs.
The event is free and open to the public.
Graduates who wish to be recognized at this year's Lavender Graduation should complete the Lavender Graduation 2011 Registration Form by today (April 26). The form is at https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5dM6uTnbxcmBNre.
