You are invited to attend:

Lavender Graduation 2017

Tuesday, June 6, 2017 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Lavender Graduation 2017 Lavender Graduation 2017   Tuesday, June 6, 2017 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Lavender Graduation 2017   This year’s Lav Grad features Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, a queer disabled non-binary femme of color writer and cultural worker of Burger/Tamil Sri Lankan and Irish/Roma ascent. The author of Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dremaing Her Way Home (Publisher’s Triangle and Lambda Award 2016 finalist, American Library Association Stonewall Award winner 2016, Body Map (Audre Lorde Poetry Award Finalist, Publisher’s Triangle), Love Cake (Lambda Award winner 2012), and Consensual Genocide, she is the co-editor of The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence in Activist Communities. Her work has been widely published, most recently in The Deaf Poets Society, Glitter and Grit and Octavia’s Brood, and including work in the anthologies Dear Sister, Undoing Border Imperialism, Stay Solid, Persistence: Still Butch and Femme, Yes Means Yes, Visible: A Femmethology, Homelands, Colonize This, We Don’t Need Another Wave, Bitchfest, Without a Net, Dangerous Families, Brazen Femme, Femme, and A Girl’s Guide to Taking Over the World. For more information find Leah at www.brownstargirl.org

Graduate and celebrate all of you! Lavender Grad is open to any student eligible, at any level (undergrad or graduate/professional) for a graduation in the 2016-2017 (including fall 2017) academic year. The Q Center and QSC host Lavender Graduation as a time for the UW students of all genders and sexual orientations to come together and celebrate our multiple identities, our accomplishments, and sheer AWESOMENESS.

You do not have to be graduating or be of a certain sexual or gender identity/orientation/expression to participate and/or attend the Lavender Graduation year-end celebration. Everyone is welcome and wanted!!!

Here is what graduates say about Lavender Graduation:
“I felt more embraced and supported by community than I had during the rest of my time as a PhD student. Lav Grad was awesome!”

“Lav Grad was such a warm and welcoming ceremony that instilled such a sense of pride…I got to stand in front of my friends and family and have the feeling that all parts of my life got to come together for the first time.”

The whens, wheres, whys and hows: When: TUESDAY, June 6th, from 6-8:30 p.m. Graduates please arrive by NO LATER than 5:00-5:15 p.m. Faculty participating  in the procession and confirmation of sheer awesomeness may also wish to arrive at 5 or 5:15 to get food and drink prior to gathering for the grand entrance.

Where: “wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ” Intellectual House.
Parking in all UW lots is $15 for special graduation day pass. The nearest parking areas are Padelford, Accessible Parking-Lot N22, N1, N5, and Central Garage. Parking for people with disabilities will be available in the UW Tower lot).

How: IF YOU ARE GRADUATING;  please register here: https://tinyurl.com/UWLavGrad17

Dress: You can wear whatever you want! This is your graduation and as queer and trans* folks, we are often “required” by work, school, family, culture, etc., to dress in ways that do not necessarily fit our tastes. If you wish to wear the cap and gown, wear it. If you want to appear in drag, do it. All clothing has cultural significance, but sometimes we want to wear cultural regalia that honors our history, ourselves and the moment, please do so! If you want to dress up, or down, go for it. You want to be comfy, have at it. This is your night. All of your identities are celebrated as is the awesomeness that is you and our UW queer communities!

“Lavender Graduation was one of the most joyous moments of my life so far. It was wonderful to be in a room with so many queer people and allies, celebrating making it through 4 years. The whole event was amazing and life affirming.”

See you there!We’d like to thank our partner, the Queer Student Commission and the following sponsors: the HUB, The School of Social Work, VPOMA/D, Student Life, Services & Activities Committee and all the student commissions!

For folks who are feeling confused about what it means to arrive fragrance free a couple of steps you can take in order to be fragrance free at the event include:

• Washing the clothes you are planning on wearing the day of the event in baking soda and vinegar or washing them in laundry detergent that is specifically labeled fragrance free, unscented or free of perfumes and dyes.
• Not wearing perfume, cologne or other scented personal care products like hair gel, scented deodorant, scented lotion. Some fragrance free alternatives are baking soda for deodorant/soap/shampoo, oil for a body moisturizer, sugar water for hairspray, pure unscented wax in place of hair gel.
• If you are a smoker taking care to not smoke directly before the event and before entering the space washing your hands and mouth with baking soda.
• If you have any specific questions around scent-free accessibility or are looking for suggestions of fragrance free alternative personal care products email uwqcenter@gmail.com or asuwqsc@uw.edu! Baking soda will be provided at the event but if you are wanting some beforehand to wash clothes, etc. contact qcenter@uw.edu and we can figure something out! For parking info contact: qcenter@uw.edu; Light rail comes to the UW from downtown and Columbia City/Rainier. It arrives near parking lot E19 near Husky Stadium.
*Free Food & Alcohol will be served // Please refrain from wearing scents or fragrances // Children welcome!!!  *”wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ” Intellectual House is wheelchair accessible.
*ASL interpretation and CART captioning will be provided upon request // For questions, comments, and concerns regarding accessibility please contact: qcenter@uw.edu

“wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ” Intellectual House

4249 Whitman Court

Seattle, WA 98195