Nonprofit holds Lavender Graduation for Georgia Southern students
Students from a southern public university recently attended a 'Lavender Graduation' to recognize those who identify as LGBT.
Held at a venue near campus in Statesboro, Georgia on April 22, Georgia Southern University’s Lavender Graduation was organized by an activist group called Boro Pride.
Students from a southern public university recently attended a “Lavender Graduation” to recognize those who identify as LGBT.
Held at a venue near Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia on April 22, the Lavender Graduation was organized by an activist group called Boro Pride, according to The George-Anne.
The ceremony highlights an ongoing trend across higher education to feature separate ceremonies for students based upon characteristics like race or identity.
“The point of the ceremony is to celebrate the students in their authenticity,” Suzanne Shurling, founder of Boro Pride and an organizer of the event, told The George-Anne.
Shurling also encouraged community members—not just students—to participate, saying the event offers affirmation in a society that is “trying to erase” LGBT-identifying students.
This year’s Lavender Graduation reportedly saw “record-breaking” sign-ups, Shurling said, as students from Ogeechee Technical College and East Georgia State College reportedly joined as well.
The nonprofit’s Facebook page noted that the occasion “was a celebration of resilience, a declaration of belonging, and a love letter to every queer soul who needed to hear: you matter, you are powerful, and you absolutely belong here.”
According to its website, Boro Pride promotes the “the visibility, inclusion, celebration, equality, and safety of LGBTQIAP+ people in Statesboro-Bulloch County, Georgia, and the surrounding areas.”
Georgia Southern’s Office of Inclusive Excellence currently promotes LGBT ideology with an LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, which exists “solely to promote a culture of inclusive excellence and belonging among faculty and staff.”
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Campus Reform recently reported on Franklin and Marshall College hosting a series of graduation events based upon students’ race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, such as a “Black Graduation Celebration” and a Lavender Graduation.
Campus Reform has contacted Georgia Southern University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.