The Yale LGBTQ Center is always excited to welcome new Yalies during our annual weeks of welcome.  Each year, the center coordinates welcome and orientation events across Yale College and our 14 Yale Graduate and Professional Schools to share more about our community center, library, and programs and services. These are great ways to get acclimated to Yale and get connected to community.

October is LGBTQ History Month and throughout the whole month, the Yale LGBTQ Center uplifts the heritage of the queer and trans pioneers and their allies throughout history.  If it wasn’t for their resilience, many of the rights people enjoy today would not be possible.  During this time, we emphasize the importance of personal narrative, agency, and collective storytelling.  The Center’s Stonewall Library recognizes Banned Books Week in partnership with the American Library Association for an academic look at the historical and contemporary attempts to censure the LGBTQ and allied communities. The Center also recognize OUT Week, a time focused on the coming out, inviting in, or disclosure processes and what it has meant to so many people in our community.  This is a time to share histories of significant leaders and narratives and journeys from our own communities.

Halloween often hailed as the “Gay Christmas” and holds a special place in the heart of the LGBTQ community at Yale. A day first celebrated for over 2000 years, its origins trace back to the Celtic holiday of Samhain, when people believed that the boundaries between the living and the dead blurred. The significance of Halloween has undergone several transformations throughout history: from being considered a pagan holiday in early America to eventually becoming an occasion for festivity, fun, and creativity.  For the LGBTQ and allied communities, Halloween was a day to challenge societal norms. At a time when it was unacceptable to be openly queer, Halloween served as a platform to express creativity and gender fluidity, providing many the freedom to be their true selves without the constraints of societal judgment.

Today, this celebration stands as a testament to the unyielding spirit, offering a sanctuary for self-expression and the breaking of boundaries. Halloween has become a monumental day for queer businesses, second only to Pride.  Embrace this ongoing legacy and join us in our annual Signature Event, Monster Mash! Our theme changes each year, but this is the event you can’t miss. 

Pride starts early at Yale, but Yalies continue celebrations through the end of June (which is National LGBTQ Pride Month).  In April, the Yale LGBTQ Center and various groups across campus host a number of pride events, outings and socials open to all.  These events vary year to year, but always include our annual spring party hosted by the Pride@Yale standing committee, Pride Prom. If you or your organization is interested in hosting or cosponsoring a Pride event, please contact the chair of the Pride@Yale committee.   

Each year the Yale LGBTQ Center recognizes and celebrates the achievements of graduating undergraduate and graduate students. Our Lavender Receptions are an opportunity for family, friends, faculty, and staff to recognize and celebrate the achievements of our graduates. It is also a time for the graduates to acknowledge family, friends, faculty, and staff who have supported them through their long journey in search of knowledge and higher learning. Any graduating students can register for private recognition or attend our annual undergraduate or graduate and professional student receptions where they will receive rainbow (undergraduate) or lavender (graduate) cords. 

The Yale LGBTQ Center is always excited to welcome alumni back to campus by coordinaing open house receptions for each Yale College Reunion.  This is a great opportunity for you to reconnect with other LGBTQ and allied alumni or connect with the staff at the Yale LGBTQ Center to learn more about our current projects and programs.  Visit Yale College Reunions for more information on your upcoming reunion.