Lavender Graduation is an annual event where we celebrate the accomplishments of any member of the Out Youth family.

Graduation is a rite of passage where students are celebrated for their academic achievements. However, graduation seldom honors or celebrates the LGBTQIA identities of students.

Since LGBTQIA youth have a higher-than-average high school dropout rate, and in an effort to recognize all significant life achievements, we encourage any member of the Out Youth family to participate in Lavender Graduation. Whether the youth are graduating from middle school or high school or earning a black belt in karate, we honor all accomplishments equally.

Lavender Graduation is held in late May, with Out Youth family members in attendance. All graduates make their own rainbow mortarboards and tassels. Graduates are welcome to speak about the significance of their accomplishments.

By offering Lavender Graduation, we celebrate the accomplishments of our Out Youth family members, build self-esteem of our youth, honor all significant life events, and contribute to the support network that is so integral at Out Youth.

The Color Lavender

Lavender is an important color in LGBTQIA history. A combination of the pink triangle that gay men were forced to wear in concentration camps and the black triangle designating lesbians as political prisoners in Nazi Germany, the LGBTQIA community re-appropriated these symbols of hatred and combined them to make a color symbolic of pride and community.