The University of Alabama Student Alliance will host a Lavender Graduation ceremony Monday celebrating the educational achievements of students within the LGBT community at the University.

“This is a ceremony for people to come as they are and be celebrated for who they are,” said Kirk Walter, president-elect of the Student Alliance and coordinator of Lavender Graduation.

The Lavender Graduation was founded at The University of Michigan and brought to Alabama in 2011 by Meredith Bagley and her wife Alexandrea Davenport.

“Even with improvements in cultural acceptance and legal protections, LGBT students still face huge obstacles and daily concerns when it comes to completing their educational goals,” Bagley said. “Thus, an event like Lavender Graduation helps celebrate this accomplishment.”

Lavender Graduation hosts a set of events in addition to those traditional to graduation ceremonies. The keynote speaker will be Representative Patricia Todd, the first and only openly gay elected official in Alabama.

“She is amazing,” Walter said. “I feel that she will give the perfect balance of recognizing and celebrating students, but also encouraging them to stand up and lead.”

Walter explained how important Lavender Graduation can be for those within the LGBT community to be 
recognized properly.

“For some of our trans-identified students, it may be the only opportunity they have to attend a graduation ceremony at UA that recognizes their gender identity, preferred names and preferred pronouns,” he said.

Lavender Graduation will be held Monday at 7 p.m. in Shelby Hall Room 1093. The event is open to the public.