You're invited to help us recognize and congratulate our LGBTQ+ graduates at this year's Lavender Congratulatory! The ceremony will take place over Zoom on April 28, 2021.
We're excited to announce the keynote speaker for this year's Lavender Congratulatory is Layshia Clarendon - noted social advocate, speaker, and writer who made history as the first WNBA player to come out as trans! Selected #9 overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft, Layshia is currently the point guard for the New York Liberty. Recently re-elected to a second term as WNBPA Vice President she helped negotiate a groundbreaking CBA Agreement that will serve as a bedrock for women’s professional sports leagues moving forward. A current member of both 5x5 and 3x3 National Team pools, Layshia captured gold with Team USA in the 2018 FIBA World Championships. In 2017, Layshia was named a WNBA All-Star, led the league in total assists, and broke the franchise record for assists in a single season. Clarendon was Cal’s leading scorer while in college where they led the Golden Bears to the first Final Four in school history. During their senior season, she was an All-Pac-12 first-team selection and the Pac-12 women’s basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Clarendon is a noted social advocate, speaker, and writer, who is often asked to lend their voice and opinions on various social topics. He has been published in The Players’ Tribune, Mic, Esquire, and ESPN. In the off-season, you can find them on the sidelines providing color commentary for the Pac-12 Network.
Registration before the event is required to attend and can be done at https://tinyurl.com/lavgrad-attend.
For questions or accommodations, please email Daniel at dec2@illinois.edu. Accommodation requests received after April 14 will be given due diligence to be filled, but may not be guaranteed.
