Join us for our annual Lavender Ceremony: a celebration of the academic and personal achievements of CCNY LGBTQIA+ students and alums!

You are cordially invited to The City College of New York's 5th Annual Lavender Ceremony!

The Lavender Ceremony celebrates the academic and personal achievements of The City College of New York’s LGBTQIA+ students, alum, and allies.

Open to all CCNY students, staff, faculty, and alum. Register to receive a lavender cord, rainbow tassel, certificate, runway spot, and more.

Free food and refreshments will be available.

• Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
• Time: 5:30PM - 8PM (program begins at 6PM sharp)
• Location: Aaron Davis Hall (115 Convent Ave, New York, NY 10027)
• Questions?: Email lgbtq@ccny.cuny.edu | view additional FAQs below and on our website
• Graduate/Alum RSVP Deadline: Monday, May 11
• Volunteer RSVP Deadline: Friday, May 15
• Guest RSVP Deadline: Thursday, May 21

For Graduates, Alum, and Staff & Faculty: This event is open to all CCNY undergraduate and graduate students that are graduating this Spring 2026, have graduated in Summer 2025 or Fall 2025, are planning to graduate this Summer 2026, or are CCNY alum or CCNY staff/faculty that did not have a Lavender Ceremony of their own. All graduates and alum must RSVP with a "Graduating Student/Alum Ticket" to secure their spot in our program and runway, their lavender cord, rainbow tassel, lavender certificate, and more!

PLEASE CONSULT OUR FAQ BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.

All graduates at our Lavender Ceremony will get a:

• Lavender certificate
• Lavender graduation cord
• Rainbow CCNY graduation tassel
• A spot to walk in our Lavender Ceremony Runway
• and some more surprises!

The deadline for graduates and alum to RSVP is Monday, May 11

For CCNY/CUNY Guests: Our entire CCNY/CUNY community is welcome to celebrate with our graduates at our Lavender Ceremony! All CCNY/CUNY guests must RSVP with a "Guest Ticket".

The deadline for guests to RSVP is Thursday, May 21

For non-CUNY Guests: All graduates at our Lavender Ceremony are permitted to invite any amount of their loved ones to celebrate! All non-CUNY guests must RSVP with a "Guest Ticket".

The deadline for guests to RSVP is Thursday, May 21

Interested in Volunteering?: We are looking for CCNY community members and alum to volunteer for our ceremony. This includes various times the day before our Ceremony (5/20) and the day of our Ceremony (5/21). All volunteers must RSVP with a "Volunteer Ticket" and select their availability.

Volunteer registration is open until Friday, May 15, 2026. All volunteer schedules will be sent out on Monday, May 18, 2026.

Unable to attend but want your lavender certificate, lavender graduation cord, rainbow CCNY graduation tassel, and more?:

No worries! Still RSVP with a "Graduating Student/Alum Ticket" and email lgbtq@ccny.cuny.edu so we can arrange a pick-up!

Attending another CUNY school and looking for your college's Lavender Ceremony or a similar celebration?:

Please reach out to your college's staff and faculty representatives on the CUNY LGBTQI+ Council!

To learn more about Lavender Ceremony and its history at City College and beyond, please visit our website. See last year's Lavender Ceremony photo highlights here and our runway highlights here.

For more information contact lgbtq@ccny.cuny.edu

Details about our 2026 Lavender Ceremony Keynote, Student, and Alum Speakers coming soon!

This event is made possible by generous funding from the New York City Council to the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, and supported by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives.

Co-Sponsors: the Leonard-Litz Foundation, CCNY Gender Resources, the CCNY Alumni Association, the CCNY Center for the Arts, the CCNY Division of Student Affairs, the CUNY LGBTQI+ Council, the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, and the CUNY Office of Student Inclusion initiatives.

The City College of New York and the CCNY LGBTQ+ Student Center are proud members of the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium.