On May 10, California State University, Long Beach, will celebrate its second Lavender Graduation - a supplemental graduation ceremony for the campus' lesbian, gay , bisexual and transgender students.
The ceremony has been a national occurrence since 1995, when the first one was held at the University of Michigan. Dr. Ronni Sanlo , now a faculty member at University of California, Los Angeles, was the Lavender Graduation pioneer and creator. The color lavender is a symbolic combination of the pink and black triangles worn by gay men and women in Nazi Germany.
"The LGBT civil rights movement took these symbols of hatred and combined them to make symbols and color of pride and community," Sanlo said.
CSULB is eager to be a part of a national tradition. Organized by only 10 people, the ceremony hopes to double its numbers from last year, going from 30 graduates people to a hopeful 60. This year boasts exciting speakers as well.
“We have just confirmed that city councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga of Long Beach will be one of our speakers at the graduation,” Chun said.
Uranga has been an active supporter of LGBT education and awareness in Long Beach's city council, especially after the Oxnard school shooting in February of a 15 year-old homosexual student. In March, she proposed that the city council work closely with the Long Beach School District to set up programs in schools to promote respect and understanding in public schooling.
Rainbow tassels are available for purchase for graduates.
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