Congratulations, Award Winners!

LGBTQI Life hosted its annual Lavender Celebration ceremony last week and welcomed one of the largest graduating classes yet. We also awarded 4 leaders from within our LGBTQI+ community here at Vanderbilt. What a blast it was to honor our students, loved one, and peers.

Advocacy of the Year Award

The Advocacy of the Year Award is given to one student and one faculty or staff member who identifies as LGBTQI+. Someone who lives their commitment to justice and is a posture for service is the perfect candidate for this award. This person centers intentionality, uses their position in the institution as a catalyst for change to challenge systems, and creates brave spaces within the Vanderbilt communities. Those who embody the Advocacy of the Year award welcome challenge and tension as necessary components to evoking change. They organize, outreach, and cultivate sustainable relationships in order to arch towards a more just campus environment/community.

Student Recipient: Rj Robles (they/them)

This year’s student recipient for the Advocacy of the Year Award is Rj Robles, graduate student in the Vanderbilt Divinity School and has worked with the Trans Buddy Program out of the Vanderbilt Medical Center for 3 years.

Rj has journeyed with people in their processes of recovery and healing, while advocating for the rights of transgender patients to privacy, quality healthcare, and respect from nurses and physicians. Congratulations, Rj, and thanks for all the important work you do for our communities.

Staff Recipient: Deborah Lilton (she/her)

Our staff recipient for the Advocacy of the Year Award is  Deborah Lilton, Librarian for English, Theater, and African-American Studies in the Central Library. Deborah’s nominator, reigning award winner Melinda Brown, shared a bit about Deborah’s advocacy efforts this year and said, “Deborah’s office is a brave space for the many students who seek her assistance. But Deborah’s advocacy does not stop on campus. She often provides support to family and friends, as well as volunteering with groups who serve LGBTQ+ people in need, such as the Tennessee Prison Books Project that “strives to center women, queer, transgender and young people who are imprisoned.”

Allyship of the Year Award

Staff Recipient: Jillian Hautman (she/her)

The Allyship of the Year Award is given to someone who demonstrates the courage to exist in solidarity with all members of the LGBTQI+ community with the acknowledgement that our freedoms are linked. This person exemplifies the notion of allyship as an ongoing process and actively does their part to provide space for LGBTQI identified persons to holistically exist at Vanderbilt University, even when it means they may be at risk.

This year’s Allyship of the Year Award recipient is Jillian Hautman, International Student and Scholar Adviser in the International Student and Scholar Services Office.

During this past year Jillian has been a reliable and enthusiastic volunteer at many of our programing events. She has also initiated training and partnership opportunities that support LGBTQI International Students during their time at Vanderbilt. Jillian recognizes that relationship building is the foundation of active allyship and we are so thankful that she is a part of our community of campus partners.

Please give us your feedback on

Lavender Celebration 2018

We would love to hear from you about your experience at Lavender Celebration or about the program, in general. Please take this brief 4-question survey on your experience so we can shape our planning for next year and ensure the best program we are able to offer. We appreciate you greatly!

Click here for the quick survey.