Lavender Graduation 2024: Honoring LGBTQIA+ graduates
The UIC Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) has long been a source of joy and support for the LGBTQIA+ community on campus. In keeping with that tradition, this year they implemented a change to the Lavender Graduation–an annual event honoring the academic successes, resiliency and personal accomplishments of UIC’s LGBTQIA+ graduates.
The redesigned Lavender Graduation is now comprised of three key components: a digital keynote address, a regalia gift and a community picnic celebration. With this structure, graduates may participate in the celebrations in the way(s) that best fit their needs.
Billy Huff, PhD, director of the GSC, explained the motivation behind these changes: “This year we decided to transition Lavender Graduation to a more accessible, sustainable and intimate experience. We recognize that we must all adjust to the needs of our communities as we change and grow.”
One of the highlights of this new Lavender Graduation was the digital keynote address, allowing graduates the flexibility of viewing the speech at any time they want. Jacob “Jay” Mueller, the 2024 keynote speaker, is a longstanding advocate of the LGBTQIA+ community and the first employee of the initial iteration of the GSC, making him distinctive in UIC history. In his speech, Mueller looked back on his more than 30-year career at the university and offered advice and inspiration from both his personal and professional experiences.
“As a person who earned a bachelor’s and a master’s at UIC, I worked hard for these degrees trying to live in a world that didn’t accept me. I am a trans person in a cis world, and I know about giving up everything to study,” Mueller stated, offering the younger graduates a poignant and intimate perspective.
2024 graduates also received lavender cords and a regalia gift that included a rainbow tassel and lavender certificate. During their commencement ceremonies, these badges of honor and pride could be worn as a symbol of their identities and accomplishments.
Held on June 11 during Pride Month, the community picnic served as the celebration’s grand finale. In cooperation with the UIC Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer People, this event was an occasion for graduates, their families and friends to gather and celebrate in a joyful and encouraging setting. The picnic personified the resilience and sense of community that the GSC works to promote.
Reflecting on the previous academic year, Huff underscored the GSC’s larger goal: “We uplift the many ways we have provided education in and out of the classroom, created engaged intersectional cultural programming, undertaken research initiatives and advocated for and supported LGBTQIA+ students, faculty and staff on campus and beyond.”
This dedication to intersectional activism and education is demonstrated by the center’s many programs and the assistance it offers the UIC community, as well as its efforts extending beyond the classroom, including partnerships with faculty, staff and other cultural centers. The goal of this strategy is to foster a more engaged and significant dialogue about LGBTQIA+ issues on campus.
Moisés Villada, MS, associate director at the GSC, emphasized the significance of these relationships and conversations: “Our vision is to reframe the idea of ‘training’ beyond a checklist item for compliance.”
The GSC’s commitment to accommodating the ongoing and changing needs of the LGBTQIA+ community guarantees that every graduate can feel encouraged and honored, in addition to making the center’s events more inclusive. As UIC’s LGBTQIA+ graduates enter the next phase of their lives, they can do so with the assurance that they are an important member of a vibrant and caring community that stands alongside them every step of the way.