Lav Grad & Rainbow Prom

Lav Grad & Rainbow Prom is an annual celebration conducted at UR (and over 200 other universities around the country) that welcomes all members of the Spider community to honor and celebrate LGBTQ+ graduates, students, faculty, and staff.  The first Lav Grad was held in 1995 by Ronnie Sanlo, director of the University of Michigan's LGBTQ+ resource center at the time.

The first Lav Grad took place at the University of Richmond in 2013 and has grown throughout the years.  Starting in 2023, the Hub for Student Inclusion and Community partnered with the LGBTQ+ Coalition to combine our Lav Grad ceremony with Rainbow Prom.  This year's event will take place on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 from 6 - 9 PM in the Jepson Alumni Center.

The event will kick off with Lav Grad from 6 - 7:30 PM, which will include a buffet dinner, speeches, performances, awards, and a cording ceremony. This will be followed by Rainbow Prom from 7:30 - 9 PM, where folks can celebrate their love and communities on the dance floor. Both events are open to all UR students, faculty, and staff.

For any questions or concerns, please contact Casey Butler (they/them), Associate Director within the Hub for Student Inclusion and Community, at cbutler2@richmond.edu or (804) 484-1653.

RSVP form coming soon! Stay tuned!