When it comes to the University of Idaho Lavender Graduation, an event to celebrate soon to be LGBTQA graduates, LGBTQA Center Director Julia Keleher said she likes to stick to tradition.
“I like to keep it the same,” Keleher said. “I think that tradition is important. I still give everyone their boutonniere, that”s what started when I started here in 2012.”
Keleher was not working for the university when Lavender Graduation first started, but she said she estimates it began about 10 years ago. The ceremony acts as a way to celebrate the accomplishments of LGBTQA students at UI.
Julia Keleher | Courtesy
The cake is cut at the 2015 University of Idaho Lavender Graduation ceremony held in the Clearwater Room of the Idaho Commons.
The 2016 Lavender Graduation ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. April 19 in the Vandal Ballroom of the Bruce Pitman Center. Registration to participate in the event closes April 8.
Keleher said although she likes to stick to tradition, she has also added her own personal touch in selecting the keynote speakers. This year the keynote speaker is Koda Hendrickson, a UI alumna who was influential in the development of the Safe Zone Program, a program which aims to educate the community about the experiences of LGBTQA people. She said she regards Hendrickson as a queer pioneer for the university.
“Every year I try to toss up someone who”s had an influence at UI or someone who I think can really give a great message to our graduates,” she said.
Keleher said Lavender Graduation celebrates all different types of students – she said she”s seen plenty of allies participate in the graduation, as well as people who choose not to identify as anything. She also said the graduates represent UI as a whole, and include students from a variety of colleges.
“They come from all over the university,” she said. “We”ve had grad students. We had a staff member who graduated, and she was really interested in participating in graduation.”
Keleher said oftentimes, the graduates are familiar faces within the LGBTQA community at UI, but sometimes the ceremony will be the first time she meets a student – and that, she said, is just fine.
“We have students who maybe haven”t been the most involved but they still are graduating, and they want to be part of the ceremony,” Keleher said.
Keleher said for all students who participate, Lavender Graduation is important because being a part of a diversity group on campus can be overwhelming. She said it”s especially encouraging for students to see all the faculty, staff and administrators who make up the audience for the ceremony, so the students see how much they are supported by leaders at the university.
“It can feel kind of daunting, being a LGBTQA student on campus, to make it through,” Keleher said. “Whether you”re here for four to six years depending on your timeline, or you”re a transfer student or whatever, it”s important to have that special recognition.”
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer