The below message is sent on behalf of Mikayla Hunter, Founding President, Queer & Trans Graduate Student Group, PhD Candidate, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
Good morning,
Lavender Graduation is an annual ceremony conducted on
numerous campuses to honor queer and trans students to acknowledge their achievements and contributions as they graduate their degrees. The Lavender Graduation Ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, a lesbian who was denied the opportunity to attend the
graduations of her children because of her sexual orientation. In response, she organized the first Lavender Graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan in 1995.
Since 1995, Lavender Graduation ceremonies have happened across North America, most predominantly in the United States. In 2018, McGill University made history when it became the first
post-secondary institution outside of the United States to host a Lavender Graduation. Since 2024, the Queer & Trans Graduate Student Group has hosted a Lavender Graduation ceremony at the University of Manitoba. At this ceremony,
grads from all post-secondary institutions in Manitoba who are 2SLGBTQIA+ are welcome to attend and be celebrated for their accomplishments. Students who have graduated in the
Fall 2025/Spring 2026 or will be graduating in Summer 2026/Fall 2026 are welcome to be a graduate this ceremony. This ceremony is symbolic in nature and no parchments are conferred.
I would greatly appreciate if you could share this information with students in your faculty. Grads can register using the QR code in the attached image of via this link:
https://forms.gle/qNwm8KKxyDGrKn89A
We also invite faculty and staff to attend the ceremony to join in celebrating these students. Faculty and staff members who would like to attend are asked to e-mail me so I can add them
to the count so that we can order the appropriate amount of food.
Thank you!
Mikayla Hunter, MSc
Pronouns: She/They (learn why this is important)
Fellow, SPECTRUM
Research Assistant, MEGAN-CAN
Founding President, Queer & Trans Graduate Student Group
PhD Candidate, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
Recent publications:
Smith, Emily;
Hunter, Mikayla; Thacker, Chelsea. (November 2025). What
We Heard: Patient and Provider Perspectives on the 2020 Health Care for Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Nonconforming People: Guidelines for the Northwest Territories.
Northern Mosaic Network.
Stirling, M., Bourque, M. A.,
Hunter, M., Queenan, J., Ludwig, C., Ristock, J., Harrison, L., Ross‐White, A., Nickel, N. C., Schultz, A., Banerji, V., Gahagan, J., & Mahar,
A. (2025). A scoping review mapping trans* and gender diverse people’s representation in cancer research.
Cancer Medicine, 14(15). https://doi-org.uml.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/cam4.70774.
Hunter, Mikayla; Tennent, Pauline; Ciceron, Angela. 2025. “Pride
in Health 2024 Art Catalogue.” Centre for Human Rights Research. July 22, 2025.
Hunter, Mikayla.
2025. “Bill
43 – the Human Rights Code Amendment Act, Adding Gender Expression as a Protected Characteristic.” Centre for Human Rights Research. June 6, 2025.
Osei-Yeboah, E., Hinds, A., Grift, J., Isaak, C.,
Hunter, M., Bonnycastle, M., Mignone, J. & Sherred, R. E. (2024). Indigenous Peoples’
Experiences of Homelessness: A Mixed Methods Study in Winnipeg. End Homelessness Winnipeg.
Hunter, M., Lea, G. W., Hasan, S. M., Archibald, M., Rieger, K., West, C., & Kreindler, S. A. (2024). “Enough reality that you took it seriously, enough humour
that you kept watching”: a qualitative analysis of student reception of Larry Saves the Canadian healthcare system.
Arts & Health, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17533015.2024.2442910
Courtney, K. L., Davison, K. S.,
Hunter, M., Watson, A., & Crawford, J. (2024). Gender harmony: A case for nursing informatics.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. https://doi.org/10.3233/shti240190
I respectfully acknowledge that the University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininew, Anisininew, Dakota Oyate and Dene
peoples, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.
I respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, I acknowledge the harms of the past that continue into the present, and I dedicate myself to move forward in partnership
with Indigenous communities in a spirit of Reconciliation and collaboration