For many people, graduation is a once in a lifetime moment. It is the culmination of years of hard work, sleepless nights, impossible deadlines, and the determination to keep going even when life gets tough.
But for some LGBTQ+ students, there is one more challenge waiting at the finish line: being told they cannot fully show up as themselves on graduation day.
That is exactly why Quezon City’s “Graduation Rights: A March for LGBTQIA+ Graduates” has become such a meaningful Pride Month tradition.
This year, more than 200 graduates gathered in Quezon City to celebrate an achievement that goes beyond earning a diploma. The event was created for LGBTQ+ students who were unable to participate in their own institutions’ graduation ceremonies because of dress code restrictions, gender expression policies, or other barriers that prevented them from celebrating authentically.
A Graduation for Everyone
Now in its third year, Graduation Rights has become a powerful symbol of inclusion and visibility in the Philippines.
Graduates from a wide range of academic backgrounds took part in the ceremony. Among them were high school students, college graduates, master’s degree holders, PhD recipients, and even graduates from the police academy.
What united them was not their field of study, but the opportunity to celebrate while wearing gender-affirming attire and expressing themselves openly.
As each graduate crossed the stage, they were greeted and congratulated by Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and other city officials, turning what could have been a painful exclusion into a moment of recognition and pride.
Held during Pride Month, the ceremony offered something many attendees had never experienced before: the chance to be celebrated exactly as they are.
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More Than a Ceremony
Graduation Rights is about more than caps and gowns. It is also a reminder of how far the LGBTQ+ community has come and how much progress remains to be made.
Among those reflecting on the significance of the event was Congressman Perci Cendaña, one of the Philippines’ most visible LGBTQIA+ advocates.
In a moving message, he reflected on how traditional graduations have historically divided students into categories that often left LGBTQ+ people feeling unseen. He encouraged attendees to remember those who came before them, generations of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer people who never had the chance to complete their education or celebrate their achievements publicly.
“Do you remember, as the AIDA march played, the graduates were made to stand:
‘This is the number of men who graduated… And this is the number of women who graduated…’
Graduations were never made for people like us.
So as we march, with every step, let us feel the weight of the dreams that went unfulfilled. We carry on our shoulders the generations of our gay, lesbian, and transgender kin who never had the opportunity to study and graduate.”
His words served as a reminder that every graduate walking across the stage carried not only their own dreams, but also the hopes of those who never got the same opportunity.
A Step Forward
Representation matters, but so do moments like these.
A graduation ceremony may seem simple on the surface, yet being recognized, respected, and celebrated can have a lasting impact on someone’s life.
For many attendees, Graduation Rights was not about replacing the ceremony they missed. It was about reclaiming a moment that should have belonged to them from the beginning.
WATCH: The Quezon City government holds its third graduation rites for the members of the LGBTQIA+ community on Thursday.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said that more individuals joined this year as they finally marched in their gender-affirming attire. | @josiahvantonio pic.twitter.com/xRRAriUpuc
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) June 11, 2026
As Pride Month continues, events like this remind us that inclusion is not just about policies. It is about people. It is about creating spaces where everyone can celebrate their accomplishments without hiding who they are.
Congratulations to all of this year’s graduates. Life is not always easy, and the road to the finish line is rarely straightforward. But every diploma earned, every stage crossed, and every dream realized is worth celebrating.
And sometimes, the most beautiful graduation is the one where you finally get to show up as yourself.