LGBTQ ‘lavender graduations’ set to take place at major Christian colleges, including one with a drag show
Some of the country's most prominent Catholic colleges and universities are holding separate LGBTQ-affirming graduation ceremonies this spring, including one that also plans to include a drag performance.At least 20...
By Fox News · Fox News
Some of the country's most prominent Catholic colleges and universities are holding separate LGBTQ-affirming graduation ceremonies this spring, including one that also plans to include a drag performance. At least 20 colleges or universities associated with the Catholic Church have held, or plan to hold, these "lavender graduation" ceremonies and celebrations, which are done separate from the main commencement ceremony and are intended to "honor and celebrate the achievements of our LGBTQ+ graduates, " according to a Fox News Digital review of university websites and social media posts. The term "lavender" has been used to describe LGBTQ+ affiliations amongst the gay community for decades, but the phrase has also carried a loaded meaning in Catholic circles, where critics have used it in phrases like "lavender mafia" to refer to alleged homosexual networks within Church institutions. US CATHOLIC BISHOPS VOTE TO OFFICIALLY PROHIBIT GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT AT CATHOLIC HOSPITALS The schools that have held, or plan to hold these graduation events, include Georgetown, Gonzaga, the University of San Francisco, Boston College, College of the Holy Cross, Fordham, Fairfield University, Marquette, Xavier, Seattle University, Saint Louis University, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara University, St. John's, Albertus Magnus College, St. Mary's College of California, Regis University, Siena Heights University, St. Thomas University and Our Lady of the Lake University. The ceremonies sparked criticism from Catholic watchdog the Cardinal Newman Society, an education advocacy group focused on ensuring Catholic schools uphold traditional church teachings. The society, which first highlighted several of the "lavender" ceremonies taking place this year, argues that the events promote an ideology at odds with the church's teaching. One of the schools holding a separate LGBTQ+ graduation, Seattle University, indicates on its website that their "Lavender Celebration" will even include "a…