Lavender Graduation is a special ceremony to celebrate LGBTQ+ graduates started in 1995 by Dr. Ronni Sanlo at the University of Michigan after she was denied the opportunity to see her children graduate due to her sexual orientation. While the first ceremony had only three graduates, it has since grown into a national movement that takes place at hundreds of universities across the country.

Lavender graduation takes place in the spring one to two weeks before CSU’s graduation. Our annual celebration honors Fall, Spring, and Summer LGBTQ+ graduates with a banquet and rainbow cords to wear at commencement.