President Bailey: ‘We can make progress as a people and as a nation’
By Kayla Heffner for Ashland.news
Southern Oregon University honored its LGBTQ+ grads before the graduation ceremony June 14.
During a special dinner on Wednesday, June 11, SOU held its 22nd annual Lavender Graduation for LGBTQ+ students. The dinner was put on by the Gender and Sexuality Justice Program at SOU.
Sweets Underwood, the event organizer for the Lavender Graduation, talked about the importance of creating spaces and bridging the gap for LGBTQ+ — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and/or questioning, plus other sexual and gender minorities — students in the community.
“Graduates, you are so essential. As I look around the room, I know many of you and have seen many of you occupy spaces and set that example of ‘you are welcome here, I wanna know your story, I wanna share me with you,’” Sweets said. “It’s been such a privilege to witness that over and over throughout the year, so shout out to you all for modeling the way for others.”
Sweets said she wanted to bring folks from various different backgrounds affiliated with SOU who are in the community to bring parts of their journey and share them openly in hopes of sparking inspiration.
“You got this — who you are, what you are, all that you are is welcome in this world and there is room for you,” Sweets said.
Avery Hancock Samuels works in student services at SOU. Samuels hopes that the Lavender grads can have the chance to show others how to be brave and contribute to the world as their authentic selves and light the way for others.
“As a queer a-gender, Jewish individual, sometimes it is easy to forget the small victories amongst life’s difficulties. Take in the bounty of your accomplishments and valuable contributions to our community simply by being you and living your true colors as your authentic self,” Samuels said.
Joanie Lindenmeyer gave the keynote speech at the Lavender Graduation. Lindenmeyer is a best-selling author of the book, “Nun Better: An Amazing Love Story,” co-written with her late wife, Carol Tierheimer.
The book chronicles how they met at a Catholic convent in the 1980s during a time when being openly gay or lesbian was dangerous and rare. The two women spent the next 40 years of their lives together rooted in love, truth, and courage, carrying the torch for future queer people to follow.
As Lindenmeyer addressed the SOU students, she beamed at them, smiling, and said, “Here’s my message: Be you, be the sparkle, and have faith.”
Lindenmeyer talked about the power of resiliency, authenticity, and love.
Part of being that authentic self is loving yourself and how sharing love with others builds trust and strength in a community.
Lindenmeyer met her late wife when she was 23. For the next 40 years, the two shared their love with each other.
Brookings Pride just happened and Lindenmeyer said this year there were a lot of naysayers in the crowd telling her she was going to hell and was a sinner. She’s been told that for the last 40 years, she said.
Lindenmeyer loves to go walking on the beaches there.
She recently ran into a man on the shore and felt compelled to strike up a conversation with him. The man shared he was married and Lindenmeyer shared her wife of 40 years died a few years ago. The man said he hated lesbians. Lindenmeyer still kept walking and talking with this person for the next half hour. After spending time together the man said, ‘You know, you’re pretty nice. I’m about done with my walk. I really think I want to go home and love my wife more.’”
Lindenmeyer asked if she could give the man a hug. “Instantly this guy hugged me like he had never hugged anybody in his life before,” Lindenmeyer said.
The reason Lindenmyer shared this story is because everyone will be challenged with obstacles at some point or have their way of living be questioned.
“Graduates, you are going to be faced with times in your life when you have those kind of people enter your life. It could be your bosses, it could be your family, it could be your best friends. You don’t know where it can come from, but all I can tell you is: be bold, be strong, be open to surprises and be the sparkle, because that’s what they need to see,” Lindenmeyer said.
Sweets said It’s important and essential to be exposed to each person’s unique journey.
SOU President Richard Bailey talked about how to keep hope alive during trying times in our nation.
“Two things are happening in our country at the same time and one of them is that we recognize over time that we can make progress as a people and as a nation. At the same time we can recognize that there’s so much more we have to do and sometimes it’s painfully slow,” Bailey said.
“We need to love each other genuinely, generously, and unconditionally. When we do those three things, we make the world a better place.”
Before Lindenmeyer’s wife, Carol, died, she planted 56 rose bushes as a tribute to her. Lindenmeyer presented the Lavender grads each with a rose in honor of her late wife as a symbolic gesture that all great things in life are rooted in love.
Journalist Kayla Heffner lives in Ashland. Email her at kheffner1@gmail.com.
