For over a decade, Kent State University hosted “Lavender Graduation,” a nationally recognized pre-commencement celebration of soon-to-graduate LGBTQ+ students. Students who walked at the faux commencement received rainbow stoles.
But after Ohio legislators banned college diversity, equity and inclusion programs through SB 1 last year, the university closed the LGBTQ+ Center–which had hosted the event–starting in the fall semester of 2025, effectively ending Lavender Graduation.
Jess Brenneman, president of LGBTQ+ student organization PRIDE! Kent, graduated in December 2025. With no Lavender celebration, they had to personally ask a staff member for a leftover stole.
Brenneman didn’t want anyone to be without a rainbow stole, and they wanted to make sure other students could walk with Pride — so Brenneman and others took up the Lavender Graduation, now called the “Lavender Celebration.” The first event was Thursday, April 30 in the Kent Student Center Ballroom.
“I’m really excited to give [the stole] to people because it’s something that meant a lot to me,” said Brenneman, now a graduate student at the college. “I know it’s meant a lot to graduates in the past, and they can take it to actual commencement.”
Lavender Graduation started at the University of Michigan 1995 after Ronni Sanlo was not invited to attend her daughter’s graduation because of Sanlo’s queer sexuality. KSU’s own version started after the LGBTQ+ Center opened in 2013.
It was renamed “Lavender Celebration” last year to clarify its purpose in light of SB 1’s restrictions on alternative graduation ceremonies despite the event not being official, but the center ultimately closed anyway.
Brenneman and other students with PRIDE! Kent began to take up the mantle in fall 2025, but they weren’t able to get a lot done until their Student Government Association funded them in January.
Since then, Lavender Celebration has been rebranded to a more “student feel,” thanks to artists Xander Dotson and Clara Brown, who designed the branding and promotional material; and Elaina Matricardi, who designed the new logo, Brenneman said. Organizers have also documented every step in preparing for this year’s event so they can pass the torch to a new group of students.
Feedback from students has already highlighted a need for the celebration to persist.
“We actually had someone submit anonymously to one of our forms that just was like, ‘I’m not actually doing this form. I just wanted to say thank you,’” Brenneman said. “I’ve had people reach out personally and say thank you. We’ve had people reach out to our social media, people talking in our meetings, people are commenting on our social media, just kind of all over.”
Queer students need an event like Lavender Celebration at their university, they said.
During the official commencement, university staff announce a student’s full legal name, leading to some trans students being deadnamed before thousands of people.
At Lavender Celebration, Brenneman said, students announce their own name and usually thank someone in their lives. The slideshow is also more personalized to each student instead of just displaying a student’s name.
“Some people might not attend [commencement] at all because it’s not a safe or friendly space for them,” Brenneman said. “[Lavender Celebration] is really about you and celebrating you.”
The first student-run celebration had 275 registrations, they said. The last university-led celebration last year netted 300 registrations.
Ronnie Sanlo, who started the first Lavender Graduation, sent a video message to Kent State students acknowledging how hard it is to not be seen at commencement and how they deserve to be celebrated and feel proud about what they’ve achieved.
“We gather in the spirit of those who came before you who insisted on being recognized, and in the lineage of movements that made that insistence possible — from the courage of those at the Stonewall riots, to those we lost to AIDS, to those who challenged hateful laws before the Supreme Court,” Sanlo said. “You are not an exception to history. You are part of it.” 🔥
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to clarify the purpose behind the name change from “Lavender Graduation” to “Lavender Celebration.”
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- To learn more about LGBTQ+ bills in Ohio, read The Buckeye Flame’s guide on 2025-2026 legislation here.
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- If you are an transgender adult in need of immediate help, contact the National Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
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