Central Michigan U. Hosts ‘Lavender Orientation’ for New LGBT Students

“support students with diverse genders and sexualities”

Posted by Mike LaChance Friday, September 4, 2026 at 08:00am 0 Comments

The left just can’t let go of identity politics. They seem to love dividing people into little groups.

Central Michigan hosts ‘Lavender Orientation’ for new queer students

Central Michigan University (CMU) hosted a “Lavender Orientation” on Aug. 29 for incoming first-year and transfer students, introducing them to queer-focused programs at the university.

The university said the orientation was “conceived and proposed” by queer CMU students to “support students with diverse genders and sexualities.”

McKenzie Lyons, treasurer for CMU’s Turning Point USA chapter, questioned the need for queer-focused campus events in comments to Campus Reform.

”The LGBTQ+ community is all about supporting change and inclusivity,” Lyons said. “So, to host a separate orientation for LGBTQ+ students is going against what they stand for.”

The orientation is one of several programs offered by the Office of LGBTQ+ Services and Gender Equity Programs. The office also maintains a “signature programming” section on its website, which includes a Lavender Graduation held every semester and an annual drag show.

Lyons said CMU already hosts several events on campus and questions whether the university should provide separate programming based on sexual orientation or “gender identity.”

”My university does have some Lavender events, and again, I say, why do we need a separate event?” Lyons continued. “Rarely do universities look at the student body as a whole; it’s usually all in pieces.”

The Lavender Graduation is held every semester in addition to CMU’s regular commencement ceremonies to “celebrate the achievements” of queer students at the university.

CMU also offers the James W. Jones Memorial Scholarship, which details that “Preference will be given to students who study world languages and who have a demonstrated commitment to the advancement of the LGBTQAI+ community.”

Bee Taylor, director of the LGBTQ+ Services and Gender Equity Programs, told Central Michigan Life in 2024 that they worked to make queer events and programs a “more regular thing.”