Events and Programs
Annual Events and Programs
Chosen Family Feast (every November)
This event is held around Wright State's Thanksgiving and winter break and is a time for the LGBTQA+ Wright State community to celebrate this time of year with their chosen family. There is always great food, a chosen family photo booth, crafts and activities, and a chance to celebrate relationships you've made and maybe make new ones too! Chosen Family feast is followed annually by Rainbow Alliance's Queen Prom in the Student Union Apollo Room.
Rainbow Alliance Drag Show (every March)
The Annual Rainbow Alliance Drag Show is where drag queens and kings take the stage to raise money for the Wright State LGBTQA Center Scholarship. All entertainers are welcome - amateurs and professionals! Performer sign-ups go live in January. All donations and tips from the event go directly to the LGBTQA Center Scholarship through WSU.
For more information, contact Rainbow Alliance at
Transgender Day of Visibility Resource Fair (every March 31 or closest weekday)
There are over a million people in the United States who identify as part of the transgender (trans) community. Transgender folks are a part of all our communities; they are our children, college students, coworkers, parents, and siblings. Unfortunately, due to their identity, they are also targeted at higher rates for discrimination in employment, housing, and education. Trans individuals are exponentially more likely to experience violence, especially trans people of color. The number of trans people murdered in our country grows every year. In August 2020, we had already surpassed the loss of trans people by murder in 2019. The time is here to raise awareness and educate others about the trans community. The time is here to bring attention and appreciation to the trans people in our community. Each year we increase visibility of this community and the resources supporting it through a campus resource fair and social event. All proceeds go to the WSU Trans Student Scholarship.
For ideas from previous years, please visit: Transgender Resource Week 2020
Lavender Graduation (every April)
Lavender Graduation is an annual ceremony to honor LGBTQA+ students and acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the university. Lavender Graduation began at the University of Michigan in 1995 with just three graduates. Dr. Ronni Sanlo, then Director of the University of Michigan LGBT Campus Resource Center, coordinated the first Lavender Graduation in order to acknowledge the achievements of LGBTQ graduates. By 2001, there were over 45 institutions holding Lavender Graduation Ceremonies and the tradition continues to expand to additional colleges and universities across the country. The color lavender is historic to the LGBTQA community as it represents a mixture of pink and black, both colors that have been used throughout history to identify LGBTQA people and discriminate against them. Graduates are presented with a rainbow stole by the center and their guests of honor.
