Spectrum Center

Upcoming Events:

Click on an event's link to register for that event! If there is no link, the event does not require registration.

Events marked with a * are supported, but not planned, by the Spectrum Center. All times are in Eastern Time (ET).

March

• Public Towards Solidarity: Allyship in Action Workshop | Wednesday, March 22nd, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM | In-Person
  • Join us for the first instance of our new 6-hour workshop, Towards Solidarity! This workshop aims to deepen the UM community's understanding of, and ability to engage with, LGBTQIA2S+ allyship.
• *A Conversation with Author Putsata Reang - Ma and Me: a Memoir* | Friday, March 24th, 2:00 - 4:00 PM | In-Person

  • Ma and Me: A Memoir can be described as an excellent interwoven story of the refugee experience, the Americanization of immigrant children, tension and drama between mother and daughter’s cultural expectations, the lingering effects of war, and the pursuit of the American dream. With a journalist’s eye and a creative writer’s heart, Cambodian-American journalist Putsata Reang has crafted a memorable narrative with poignant lines, rare clarity, and lyrical wisdom. Her story reflects the long legacy of inherited trauma, as well as the crushing weight of cultural and filial duty carried by many immigrants and refugees as they navigate transnational, first-gen, queer, and ethnic and racial identities in the US.

  • Planned in collaboration with Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs 

• Hello, My Name Is... Name Change Clinic | Friday, March 24th, 4:30 - 6:00 PM | In-Person, Downtown Ann Arbor District Library 4th Floor Meeting Room

  • Join the Jim Toy Community Center's OUTreach and the Outlaws at the University of Michigan for a free clinic dedicated to addressing the challenges of name changes for transgender and gender nonconforming people.

    They will provide details on how to legally change your name and gender marker in the state of Michigan. Information on how to update your Social Security, Passport, Driver’s License, and Birth Certificate will also be available. Legal volunteers will be on-site after the presentation to answer questions and assist with forms. Finger-printing services will be available on site with no fee. If you would like to take advantage of the finger printing services, please bring a government-issued photo ID.

  • Registration not required. Click here to have this added to your Google Calendar.

• PaWWS and Relax with Hawkeye at the Spectrum Center | Tuesday, March 28th, 12:00 - 1:00 PM | In-Person, the Spectrum Center
  • Hosted in partnership with University Health Services Wolverine Wellness
  • No registration required
  • Please note that therapy dog events can be very popular and the Center may get crowded. Please be patient and courteous to other attendees. If you are afraid of or allergic to dogs, or do not like crowded spaces, it is recommended you do not visit the Center during this event time.

April

• Lavender Graduation Ceremony | Tuesday, April 11th, 5:00 - 7:15 PM | In-Person
  • LGBTQ+ students who have or will graduate between August 2022 and April 2023 are invited to register to attend the Lavender Graduation ceremony! For more information about Lavender Graduation, see this page.
  • Students who do not want to attend the ceremony but would like to recieve commemorative items or be recognized as a graduate may also use this form to register.
• Pride Prom 2023 Mas-Queer-Ade | Saturday, April 22nd, 8:00 - 11:00 PM | In-Person
  • Presented by the Spectrum Center Programming Board

Join the Queer World Conversations!

The Queer World Conversations is a new event series aimed at creating a regular discussion space for LGBTQ+ topics and perspectives. TQWC is held every Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM in the Spectrum Center, room 3020 of the Michigan Union, and does not require registration. Topics will be announced once week before each session.

Upcoming:

Visit Pop-Up Pride Stations:

The Pop-Up Pride Stations are a once-a-week occurrence where you'll be able to find the resources, giveaways, and staff connection in various locations across campus! Feel free to stop by, ask questions, and hang out (given there's extra room). A staff member will be available at the stated location for most of the day. Currently confirmed visits are listed on Happening @ Michigan and on our LGBTQ+ Events at UM calendar. Feel free to suggest additional locations!

• This series is on hold for now

Below is a list of various annual events and celebration programs that are coordinated by the Spectrum Center. To see the full list of currently scheduled Spectrum Center events and details, check out our Happening @ Michigan calendar.

Pride Outside: LGBTQ Welcome 

Join the Spectrum Center as we host our Welcome Week event: LGBTQ Welcome Festival! Meet the faculty & staff on the University of Michigan OUTlist and enjoy free food and activities while getting to know your queer community on campus. Everyone is welcome!

LGBT Graduate Student Mixer 

Welcome (or welcome back) to LGBTQ graduate students! Mix and mingle with new and returning students over dinner. A welcome will be offered from the Spectrum Center in collaboration with the Rackham Graduate School. This is the place to connect with other LGBTQ graduate students at U-M as well as learn about the many LGBTQ resources around U-M and Ann Arbor, MI. 

Celebrate Bi/Pan/Fluid Visibility Day 

Bi/Pan/Fluid Day, observed annually nationwide on September 23, is a day of celebration, awareness, and visibility for the bisexual community. The Spectrum Center recognizes this important day with an inspiring event.

LGBTQ History Month (October)

LGBTQ History Month is a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history, and the history of the gay rights, transgender rights, and related civil rights movements. The Spectrum Center celebrates these efforts through several events throughout the month of October.

National Coming Out Week

On Oct. 11, 1987, half a million people participated in the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Now, every October 11, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people and allies participate in National Coming Out Day events across the country. The Spectrum Center extends coming out events to a week-long celebration.

See also: National Coming Out Day (October 11th)

Trans Awareness Week 
Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20th)

Trans Awareness Week is a set of events designed to celebrate the lives and contributions of Trans-Identified members of our community. Events have included teach-ins, art shows, film screenings and brownbags. Transgender Day of Remembrance, held on or around November 20, is a solemn ceremony of remembrance of those whose lives were taken as a result of gender identity and/or gender expression.

World AIDS Day (December 1st)

Every year, World AIDS Day events take place across the globe to raise awareness and show support for people living with HIV. The Spectrum Center honors the lives of those we lost from AIDS as well as support those living with HIV through events on and around December 1st.

LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Week 

LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Week is a series of events hosted by the Spectrum Center in partnership with various campus and community groups. The goal is that the events offered will create spaces in which both students and community members can engage and will find meaningful, valuable, and useful to their own lives. This is the first time the Spectrum Center has hosted a week around this particular topic, which takes a look at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and attractionality as it relates to health and wellness.

MBLGTACC Student Delegation

The Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Asexual College Conference (MBLGTACC) is an annual conference held to connect, educate, and empower queer and trans+ college students, faculty, and staff around the Midwest and beyond. It has attracted advocates and thought leaders including Angela Davis, Nyle DiMarco, Robyn Ochs, Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, Kate Bornstein, Faisal Alam, and LZ Granderson; and entertainers and artists including Jujubee, Margaret Cho, J Mase III, Chely Wright, and Loren Cameron.

To date, MBLGTACC is America's largest and oldest continuously-held conference for queer and trans+ college students. And it remains proudly student-run. See the official MBLGTACC website here.

(* This trip typically occurs pending funding/financial assistance and location of the conference)

International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st)

TDOV is a day to show your support for the trans community. It aims to bring attention to the accomplishments of trans people around the globe while fighting cissexism and transphobia by spreading knowledge of the trans community. Unlike Transgender Day of Remembrance, this is not a day for mourning: this is a day of empowerment and getting the recognition we deserve!

Lavender Graduation 

In 1995, Ronni Sanlo, then the Director of the University of Michigan's Spectrum Center, designed the first Lavender Graduation, a commencement event specifically for LGBT students and their allies. Lavender Graduation has since become an annual ceremony conducted on numerous campuses to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and ally students and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the University. Graduating students, including undergraduates, graduates, and professional students, are invited to take part in Lavender Graduation, which occurs each year in conjunction with university-wide commencement events.