Photograph of five young girl dancers at a carnaval on UNT campus, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows five young girls, all of them in black tops and flowy skirts. They stand one in front of the other in front of a stage outside, one hand of each of them holding the side of their skirts. The one at the front has a yellow skirt, the two behind her pink skirt, an the last two have orange skirts. All of their hair is done up in the same way, and a small crowd of people is seen behind them watching them dance.

Photograph of four young girl dancers at a carnaval on UNT campus, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows four young girls, all of them in black tops and flowy skirts. They are in formation with one in front of the other three, all their hands slightly lifting up their skirts. The one in the front has a pink skirt, and the others orange skirts. A stage can be seen behind them.

Photograph of young girl dancers at a carnaval on UNT campus, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows three young girls, all of them in black tops and flowy skirts. They stand one in front of the other, one hand holding the side of their skirts. The one at the front has a green skirt, and the other two red. Their hair is done up in braided buns and they wear hoop earrings. Their clothing is traditional in Latino culture.

Photograph of three graduates with their certificates of recognition. The image shows three graduates, the one in the middle whith a cap on. They all wear their green graduation robes and purple rainbow-striped stoles. The two on the side hold framed certificates titled "Certificate of Recognition." Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds of institutions across the nation and the Pride Alliance is honored to add UNT’s name to that list.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photographs of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

A photograph of the graduation screen from the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The photo shows a projected screen with a white background with the words "Lavender Graduation" on it in a lavender color. Under it is a lavender banner with the date "April 28, 2018" on it. Under that is the time and location of the event, and all of this is encircled by an image of lavender plants arranged in a circle. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities …

Photograph of stoles from the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The purple stoles are laid out on a green surface. They have rainbow stripes at the top and bottom, as well as two triangles. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds of institutions across the nation and the Pride Alliance is honored to add UNT’s name to that list.

Photograph of Alex Sylvester, of the UNT Pride Alliance, and guest embracing at the 2018 Lavender Graduation. The photo shows Alex Sylvester (right) in a dress with long blonde hair. Next to them is a person with short cropped hair, wearing a grey blazer with a black button down.

Photograph of Alex Sylvester, of the UNT Pride Alliance, and guest at the 2018 Lavender Graduation. The photo shows Alex Sylvester (right) in a dress with long blonde hair. Next to them is a person with short cropped hair, wearing a grey blazer with a black button down.

Photograph of cupcakes from the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The cupcakes lay on a tray, and there are two types: vanilla with white frosting and chocolate with chocolate frosting. Each of them have a round piece of chocolate on top with a green eagle symbol. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds of institutions across the nation and the Pride Alliance is honored to add UNT’s name to that list.

Photograph of a group of people at the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows a group of six people sitting around a black table. The two furthest on the left are the graduates in their outfits with purple stoles around their necks, rainbow stripes on the ends of it. On the farthest right is a young man in a striped sweater, to his left another young man and the two people in the middle older woman. Behind them is a long table of refreshments, and on their right another table of people partially seen. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage …

Photograph of the two hosts and a graduate at the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The photo shows the two hosts standing on each side of one of the graduates, who is in the middle.The graduate has a purple stole resting on their shoulder with rainbow stripes. To their right is the host wearing a dress, and to their left is the host in a grey long sleeve. They stand in front of the stage with a podium on the left side of the photo. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are …

Photograph of the two hosts of the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The photo shows the two hosts side by side each other, the person on the right is someone with long blonde hair and wearing a dress,. On the left is a person with shorter hair and a grey long sleeve. In the background a projection with the graduation title can be seen. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds …