Congratulations Class of 2023 Graduates!
May 2, 2023 marks a significant celebration for Farmingdale State College as we honor students at today's inaugural Lavender Graduation.
Inherently, FSC has been acknowledged by the Human Rights Campaign as one of several,l New York- higher education institutions to incorporate the Lavender Graduation into campus tradition. An intimate setting of this nature creates a unique environment where students are acknowledged and welcomed, aimed at providing a meaningful, personal, and memorable experience.
What is a Lavender Graduation Ceremony (LGC)?
LGC is a commencement ceremony honoring graduating 2SLGBTQIA+ and ally students. It is a cultural celebration where the unique 2SLGBTQIA+ student experience is officially recognized and celebrated by Farmingdale State College (FSC). This ceremony serves to acknowledge the achievements and contributions that students of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions have made at FSC.
History
Now tradition at more than 200 colleges and universities across the country, LGC began in 1995 at the University of Michigan when Ronni Sanlo, then the Director of the LGBT Campus Resource Center, organized the first LGC with three graduates. She initiated LGC out of a desire to celebrate LGBT students after being denied access to attend her own biological children’s graduation due to her sexual orientation.
Lavender Celebration Cords
The color lavender is important to 2SLGBTQIA+ history. It is a combination of the pink triangle that gay men were forced to wear and the black triangle lesbians were forced to wear in concentration camps and Nazi Germany. The 2SLGBTQIA+ civil rights movement took these symbols of hatred and combined them to make symbols and a color (lavender) representing pride and community. The Lavender Celebration cord is meant to give special honors to those students who have exemplified resilience, boldness, and determination as they have achieved their scholarly goals, and much more.