UMass Boston Lavender Graduation to feature drag performers, celebrate 'pride'
The University of Massachusetts Boston will celebrate its segregated graduation ceremony for LGBT-identifying students with drag performances this month.
On Monday, the university’s Queer Student Center promoted the 'Lavender Graduation' ceremony, scheduled for May 13, in an Instagram post.
The University of Massachusetts Boston celebrated its segregated graduation ceremony for LGBT-identifying students with drag performances this month.
On Monday, the university’s Queer Student Center promoted the “Lavender Graduation” ceremony, scheduled for May 13, in an Instagram post.
[RELATED: University of Nevada hosts multiple segregated graduations]
“Let’s celebrate our LGBTQ+ graduates with drag performances, delicious food, and a night filled with pride,” the center writes in the post. “[D]on’t forget to bring your pride!”
UMass Boston has hosted its “Lavender Graduation” for the past several years, as Campus Reform has reported.
According to its web page, the Queer Student Center is “dedicated to the educational, social, and personal growth of gender and sexual minority students at UMass Boston.”
“Our mission includes raising awareness about issues impacting gender and sexual minority communities while promoting understanding, inclusivity, and allyship across campus,” it continues.
This semester, the center has hosted events on “Transgender Day of Visibility,” “LGBTQ+ Day of Celebration” and “Story Circle: Shared Journeys of Identity and Growth.”
Many universities host identity-based graduation ceremonies to conclude the academic year.
UC Davis is sponsoring a ceremony next month for students who identify as part of the “African diaspora.”
“This graduation is different from the UC Davis colleges’ commencement, as it is a culturally relevant and inclusive ceremony celebrating the Black community,” a description says.
Several universities in California are also organizing ceremonies to celebrate illegal immigrant graduating students. The ceremonies are called “UndocuGraduation,” and the universities hosting them have given warnings about immigration officials.
“Immigration enforcement is the responsibility of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, not the university,” California State University Long Beach has told possible attendees.
While many universities are sponsoring identity-based graduation ceremonies this spring, several have moved to rename or cancel their annual celebrations due to state and federal pressure.
The University of Kentucky recently canceled a Lavender Graduation for LGBT-identifying students and a “Harambee Unity Celebration” for black students to comply with anti-DEI state law.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Queer Student Center for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
