Lavender graduations are ceremonies conducted to honor LGBTQ+ and allied students that are graduating and to acknowledge achievements and contributions made on their campuses and in their communities.
Kenyon annually invites LGBTQ+ and allied students to be recognized and celebrated at an event prior to the College's Commencement Weekend in May. Lavender cords are provided, and they are recognized as a part of the College’s official graduation regalia.
Lavender Graduation 2024
This year's Lavender Graduation Ceremony took place on April 25 at 5 p.m. in the Community Foundation Theater in the Gund Gallery.
Students, faculty, staff and families were all welcome to attend the event.
Registering for Lavender Graduation
Registration for Lavender Graduation is open to Kenyon’s LGBTQ+ and allied students. At the ceremony, the names and pronouns of each registrant are read aloud. As with other programs from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, students are able to self-select participation in the program, in addition to the name and pronouns they would like to have read.
If you are a graduating LGBTQ+ senior who does not wish to have their name listed and/or read in the official program, please reach out to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as you are still entitled to graduation regalia from Lavender Graduation. At each year’s ceremony, we also publicly acknowledge that not every graduating LGBTQ+ senior is recognized in the public program, but we still celebrate them and their achievements.
Registration information will be shared before next year's ceremony.
LGBTQ+ Service Awards
Each year at Lavender Graduation, we recognize outstanding work done on behalf of Kenyon’s LGBTQ+ community. Please refer to the awards below and consider nominating someone for one or more of these honors. Information about the nomination process will be shared via email with the campus community.
Nominate an organization or individual for an LGBTQ+ Service Award.
New Ceremony Honors Members of LGBTQ+ Community
Read about Kenyon's first Lavender Graduation ceremony, which took place on April 19, 2017.