History
Ronni Sanlo began this tradition after being denied access to attend her children's graduations due to her sexual orientation. Sanlo mentions that "Until 1995, there were no ceremonies to honor our LGBT students. There were only ceremonies for students of various ethnicities and for other groups like ROTC, but nothing for our students, those to tend to feel most disenfranchised from their colleges and universities." The first lavender graduation took place at theCeremony
Like other commencement ceremonies, lavender graduation ceremonies typically include a speaker—who can be a student or a guest—and a reading of graduates' names. Depending on the school, attendance is open to all members of the campus LGBTQ community, though some schools require an application process prior to the ceremony. Students can also attend traditional commencement ceremonies. It is usually held before formal commencement. The ceremony takes its name (and sometimes the color of tassels or other items given to students) from the significance of the color lavender in the LGBTQ community.Opposition
Jonathan Saenz, President of Texas Values, a Texas-based organization advocating for traditional family values, stated, “This special Texas A&M ceremony essentially promotes and celebrates dangerous and risky sexual activity that can fiercely jeopardize a person’s well-being....I’m not sure this is the most responsible way for a university to prepare students for the real world.” Saenz saw this as a direct violation of the then ban on gay marriage. The A&M Student Senate and one state Legislator unsuccessfully tried to delete funding from the LGBTQ resource.Wright, John. "Anti-gay Leader Says A&M’s Lavender Graduation “celebrates Dangerous and Risky Sexual Activity”." Anti-gay Leader Says A&M’s Lavender Graduation “celebrates Dangerous and Risky Sexual Activity”. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.References
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