Signature LGBTQIA+ Centric Events On Campus

At the start of each Fall semester, the QTRAC and Intercultural Center host an open house event during the Weeks of Welcome. This event is usually accompanied by free food, fun games and entertainment, and a ton of people.

For first-year students, Open House is a great opportunity to see the resources that the two centers provide as well as find a community where you feel included. We highly encourage staff, faculty, and returning students to also attend Open House to help us welcome the new class of students. 

In the lead-up to National Coming Out Day (Oct 11th), SAGA plans a week's worth of programming. Past events have included movie screenings, guest speakers, tie dye, and much more!

On National Coming Out Day (Oct 11th), the QTRAC hosts a BBQ in the center of campus! We combine great food, pride flag giveaways, lawn games, photo booths, and music to create a memorable celebration. 

Trans Week of Remembrance (TWOR) is typically hosted the week prior to November 20th which is the National Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR). In the build-up to TDOR, we engage in raising awareness of the oppression that trans folks face, in addition, to directly challenging that oppression by centering trans joy. 

On Trans Day of Remembrance (Nov 20th), the QTRAC hosts a vigil to honor the lives lost to transphobic violence during the year. This is a time when our community needs allies and advocates to step up and listen to our community to help stop the violence. After the presentation of names and portraits, community members can read poetry or perform spoken word for the audience. 

During the first week of December, SAGA hosts a Drag Bingo event! Local drag performers are brought to campus to perform and run the bingo. Students can win prizes while also enjoying a show!

The QTRAC intends to host RWU's first Gender and Sexuality Symposium on International Womens Day (March 8th, 2024). This event will showcase faculty and student research on a variety of topics related to gender and/or sexuality. The goal of the symposium is to demonstrate the value of gender and sexuality as academic topics and to promote equity on campus through education. 

If you are interested in presenting your research at the symposium, please contact our Assistant Director of Queer & Trans Initiatives - Jamie Wire (jwire@rwu.edu). Presentations will be solicited in early Spring. 

In the middle of the Spring semester, the QTRAC hosts a queer-centric prom! Students are encouraged to dress up in whatever way brings them confidence, take pictures, hit the dance floor, and celebrate queer joy & love. 

Hosted in April, SAGA hosts a week of events and programming to celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride. Celebrating Pride Week is about showing a very visible display of love for our LGBTQIA+ RWU folks. Past events have included a mechanical unicorn, music artists, jeopardy, flower potting, food trucks, and much more!

In May 2018, the QTRAC & Intercultural Center hosted Roger Williams' inaugural Lavender Graduation. Lavender Graduations happen at universities throughout the country and serve as an inspiring and affirming way for us to celebrate the successes of our queer and trans students. This event creates space for our LGBTQIA+ students, their families, and their friends to gather one last time and to reflect on their growth throughout their time here at Roger. To learn more about the first ceremony at RWU, please click here!

Lavendar Graduation has been hosted every year since! The graduation ceremony is entirely free for students, their friends, and families to attend.