Cedar Rapids Pride celebrates LGBTQ students through Lavender Celebration Ceremony

CEDAR RAPIDS — Rainbows and pride flags flooded downtown Cedar Rapids as the LGBTQ community and allies alike gathered for the 2023 Cedar Rapids Pride Parade. At NewBo City Park, students strutted and danced down the stage to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” for the first-ever Cedar Rapids Lavender Celebration Ceremony.

The Lavender Celebration focused on celebrating LGBTQ youth ages 18 and younger. The idea of a Lavender Graduation — a celebration targeted toward LGBTQ students entering the next chapter of their life — started in colleges, but has been spreading beyond the postsecondary world.

The Cedar Rapids Lavender Celebration Ceremony is a riff off the Lavendar Graduation idea, broadening it to include a wider age range.

The event was born out of a collaboration among several pride organizations in Cedar Rapids, including CR Pride, PFLAG, the Tanager LGBTQ+ Youth Center, and the Cedar Rapids Community School District’s Rainbow Alliance.

Amy Hockett, a PFLAG representative who’s been involved in the organization and promotion of the event, said the collaboration was a “natural process.”

“Our whole mission is creating a caring and affirming world for the LGBT community and those who love them,” Hockett said. “This was a natural fit.”

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As around 100 attendees filtered in and out around the stage, live music was playing for attendees to enjoy. Before the Lavender Celebration, CR Pride hosted a pride parade that filled the streets with rainbows, candy and bubbles.

“It's nice being around supportive people,” McKenna Shield, one of the parade attendees, said. “I just think it's important to get everybody together and let everyone know that they're supported.”

Letting the kids ‘be who they are’

The celebration included several speeches, including one from a representative of Linn-Mar High School's multicultural student leadership program and Iowa Sen. Liz Bennett, a Cedar Rapids Democrat.

Speakers touched on topics including recent Iowa legislation, allyship and pushing against societal norms.

“No matter where you are, you will find someone who supports you,” Bennett said during her speech. “Sometimes in the least expected places.”

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Lori Ampey, director of the Tanager LGBTQ+ Youth Center, said the Lavender Ceremony allowed students to “be who they are” without any sort of restrictions. She said the event respected the pronouns and preferred name of every student, and didn’t pressure kids to dress and meet any expectations.

“It just spotlights kids being able to be who they are,” Ampey said. “It's mentally uplifting for them to be seen and to be heard.”

Supporting and celebrating all LGBTQ youth

Madison Atwood, a member of the Cedar Rapids Community School District Rainbow Alliance and one of the event organizers, said the celebration was originally planned to be a Lavender Graduation, but the focus shifted because of recent legislation.

During the last two sessions, the Iowa Legislature has passed several bills targeting LGBTQ youth, including a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, restrictions on LGBTQ instruction in schools and a law that prohibits transgender girls from competing on girls’ athletic teams.

Atwood said even if the legislation does not directly impact LGBTQ students, the increased conversations and surrounding dialogue can be harmful.

“Kids are hearing things,” Atwood said. “They start to wonder if there are people who have their back.”

Ampey said she and others at the LGBTQ+ Youth Center do what they can to focus on the positive, especially since kids are unable to vote in elections.

“Kids don't have a voice when it comes to legislation,” Ampey said. “This is an opportunity for them to be able to be celebrated exactly how they are.”

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