A Lavender Ceremony is an annual event conducted on numerous college campuses to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, intersex, questioning, and ally students and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to their universities. This is also a celebration of the equality, rights, dignity, and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and this community's resistance against oppression. The Lavender Ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo at the University of Michigan in 1995.  Today, there are thousands of Lavender Ceremonies at Colleges and Universities nationwide. Graduating students, including Bachelors, Masters, PhD., and those from certificate programs are invited to take part in the celebration. Stay tuned for more information on how to participate in CCNY's next Lavender Ceremony.  If you have any questions, please contact lgbtq@ccny.cuny.edu

A Lavender Ceremony is a cultural celebration that recognizes LGBTQ+ students and acknowledges their achievements and contributions to the university. Through such recognition, LGBTQ+ students may leave the university with a positive last experience of the institution thereby encouraging them to become involved mentors for current students, as well as contributing alumni.

Our Lavender Ceremony is an event to which LGBTQ+ students share their hopes and dreams with one another, and are officially recognized by the institution for their leadership and their successes and achievements.

Lavender isn't just an official CCNY school color (go Beavers!), lavender is important to LGBTQ+ history! It is a color 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 LGBTQ+ civil rights movement took these symbols of hatred and combined them to make symbols and color of pride and community. 

Yes. Because the Main Commencement Book is an unofficial document, you can have your chosen name listed. You do not need to provide any legal documentation to request this change.

To change your name in the Main Commencement Book, please see this link to download a "Commencement Book Name Adjustment Request Form".

Please email this completed form to Joann Huang ( jhuang3@ccny.cuny.edu ), Hermington Gomez ( hgomez@ccny.cuny.edu ), and Dion Dennis ( ddennis1@ccny.cuny.edu ). Please also 'cc Ana King-Garcia ( akinggarcia@ccny.cuny.edu ), Jasmin Salcedo ( jsalcedo@ccny.cuny.edu ), Simone Tarver ( smcmillion@ccny.cuny.edu ), and the CCNY Office of the Registrar ( registrar@ccny.cuny.edu ).

The deadline to submit this form for the 2024-2025 Academic Year is Monday, April 21st, 2025. As a reminder, the deadline to apply for Spring graduation is February 28th, 2025.

Yes.

To change your name in the Main Commencement Book,please see this link to download a "Commencement Book Name Opt Out Form".

Please email this completed form to Joann Huang ( jhuang3@ccny.cuny.edu ), Hermington Gomez ( hgomez@ccny.cuny.edu ), and Dion Dennis ( ddennis1@ccny.cuny.edu ). Please also 'cc Ana King-Garcia ( akinggarcia@ccny.cuny.edu ), Jasmin Salcedo ( jsalcedo@ccny.cuny.edu ), Simone Tarver ( smcmillion@ccny.cuny.edu ), and the CCNY Office of the Registrar ( registrar@ccny.cuny.edu ).

The deadline to submit this form for the 2024-2025 Academic Year is Monday, April 21st, 2025. As a reminder, the deadline to apply for Spring graduation is February 28th, 2025.