About
Lavender Graduation is a Student Affairs-supported commencement ceremony celebrating graduating students of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. LGBTQIA+-identifying, allies, friends, and family are all welcome to this very esteemed and special ceremony.
Ceremony
Check back here for more information about Lavender Graduation taking place in Spring of 2026!
Registration
Registration to walk at Lavender Graduation begins in Spring of 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Lavender?
Lavender is an intentionally chosen color that honors the history and journey of the LGBTQ community. Lavender was previously used in a discriminatory way toward LGBTQIA+ identifying folks, and has since been used to uplift and celebrate the legacy of the LGBTQ community.
How did Lavender Graduation start?
Lavender Graduation began in 1995 at the University of Michigan by Ronni Sanlo, then the Director of the LGBT Campus Resource Center. Lavender Graduation is now celebrated at over 200 colleges and universities across the country.
Who can participate in Lavender Graduation at Carolina?
Undergraduate students, Graduate students, Professional students, and Doctoral candidates who graduated in the most recent Fall semester, or are approved to graduate in the current Spring semester.
Who can attend Lavender Graduation at Carolina?
Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to the public. Family, friends, and loved ones of the participating graduates, along with campus partners, community partners, and collaborative agencies throughout the UNC community, are all welcome to attend.
Past Lavender Graduates and Ceremonies
- 2021 Lavender Graduates and Ceremony
Congratulations to Carolina’s 2021 Lavender Graduates! We are so glad that you could join us for this year’s ceremony, whether on the Zoom call or in spirit. We hope you will take the words of our keynote speaker K. Tajhi Claybren into the next phase of your journey. Thank you for allowing us to celebrate you! - 2020 Lavender Graduates and Ceremony
Congratulations to Carolina’s 2020 Lavender Graduates! - 2019 Lavender Graduates and Ceremony
Congratulations to Carolina’s 2019 Lavender Graduates! We are so glad that you could join us for this year’s ceremony. We hope you will take the words of our keynote speaker Joy Messinger into the next phase of your journey. Thank you for allowing us to celebrate you!
