Among Adventism’s underreported stories are the accounts of communities within the denomination that value and affirm queer people—places where “safe space,” “chosen family,” “preferred pronouns,” and “LGBTQ+ affirming” are not catchphrases but meaningful realities.
On Friday evening, June 5, La Sierra University Church’s (LSUC) Kinship Sabbath School transformed Sierra Vista Chapel in Riverside, California, into one of those places for its sixth annual Lavender Graduation. The event stood out not only for its rainbow decor, but also and more significantly for its poignant celebration of seven graduating LGBTQ+ students from La Sierra University (LSU) and other Southern California schools—one of whom received recognition in absentia.
Celebrants included members of the LSUC pastoral staff, LSU faculty and administration, family and friends of the graduates, and yes, chosen family there to provide support in place of family members who could not or would not attend.
Small rainbow pride flags outside Sierra Vista Chapel marked the entrance to the Lavender Graduation. Raquel Mentor/SPECTRUM
Lavender Graduations date back to 1995 at the University of Michigan (U-M), when Ronni Sanlo—a woman from Florida who in 1979 lost custody of her children after coming out as lesbian—decided to do something about traditional graduation ceremonies’ failure to provide “safe or affirming environments for LGBTQ+ graduates, leaving some students feeling alienated on a day meant to celebrate their hard work and success.” Sanlo wanted to give U-M’s LGBTQ+ students the support she never experienced, and created the first Lavender Graduation to show “LGBTQ+ students they were seen, valued and celebrated.”
The La Sierra community held its first Lavender Graduation virtually in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when LSUC’s Kinship Sabbath school class partnered with Kinship International to honor three LGBTQ+ graduates. After going dark in 2021, the event has honored a total of 35 graduates including this year’s cohort.
Nearly a decade ago, Gabriel Uribe, a healthcare professional and former Social Work instructor at La Sierra University, and his husband Chase Uribe, a licensed clinical social worker, launched the Kinship Sabbath School, a first of its kind weekly gathering with LGBTQ+ members and allies from multiple continents. The group meets regularly on Sabbaths to study and worship. The couple has coordinated the La Sierra community Lavender Graduations since their start in 2020. For the second year in a row, Gabriel’s absence due to a deployment with the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps saw Chase host the event solo.
Lavender Graduations date back to 1995 at the University of Michigan (U-M), when Ronni Sanlo—a woman from Florida who in 1979 lost custody of her children after coming out as lesbian—decided to do something about traditional graduation ceremonies’ failure to provide “safe or affirming environments for LGBTQ+ graduates, leaving some students feeling alienated on a day meant to celebrate their hard work and success.” Sanlo wanted to give U-M’s LGBTQ+ students the support she never experienced, and created the first Lavender Graduation to show “LGBTQ+ students they were seen, valued and celebrated.”
The La Sierra community held its first Lavender Graduation virtually in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when LSUC’s Kinship Sabbath school class partnered with Kinship International to honor three LGBTQ+ graduates. After going dark in 2021, the event has honored a total of 35 graduates including this year’s cohort.
Nearly a decade ago, Gabriel Uribe, a healthcare professional and former Social Work instructor at La Sierra University, and his husband Chase Uribe, a licensed clinical social worker, launched the Kinship Sabbath School, a first of its kind weekly gathering with LGBTQ+ members and allies from multiple continents. The group meets regularly on Sabbaths to study and worship. The couple has coordinated the La Sierra community Lavender Graduations since their start in 2020. For the second year in a row, Gabriel’s absence due to a deployment with the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps saw Chase host the event solo.
