Last night, the Ohio University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center concluded its 10th anniversary celebration with the eighth annual Pride Graduation.
More than 90 people attended the ceremony to recognize 13 students graduating this spring, both undergraduate and graduate, who have had some involvement with the LGBT community.
Pride Graduation is open to all students at OU, as long as they are graduating seniors, said Mickey Hart, director of the LGBT Center.
If you are an LGBT or ally student
you are welcome to be recognized. There is no criteria. For some students this might be the first LGBT event they come to and I'm very fine with that Hart said.
Pride Graduation began in 2001 as a small dinner for seniors in the basement of United Campus Ministry on College Street. Since then, Hart said it has become a formal tradition.
Hart began the evening with a short welcome speech followed by dinner and a slide show of photos from the LGBT Center's last 10 years. Hart listed the top 10 achievements of the center's lifetime, such as the Faces of Pride
posters, the SafeZone program and OU's ranking as one of the top 100 gay friendly college campuses in the Advocate College Guide.
Logan Waldie, a senior studying graphic design and animation, participated in
graduation to show his support for LGBT students.
I've been involved in a bunch of LGBT events on campus since my sophomore
year said Waldie, co-chair of Open Doors.
It's a great way for a bunch of the LGBT people who don't normally come out to our big events to come to this
so it's a great way to meet them.
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Culture
Mallory Long
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Mickey Hart, director of the LGBT Center, congratulates senior Justin Retcher in Baker Ballroom yesterday. Thirteen students graduated this spring as part of the eighth annual Pride Graduation. (Amanda Steen | For The Post)
