Under the music of C+C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now,” Jennifer Lanier steps out of the audience and dances onto the stage. Lanier, an actress, educator and motivational speaker, said she used humor to endure life struggles she dealt with throughout her life. Lanier started her performance “None of the Above” going back to 1990 – the first time she filled out the U.S. Census. One question had boggled her mind – “Ethnicity.” She said she had no idea what to put. Lanier is white, black and American Indians and she could not fill out “just one.” Lanier also spoke about gender identity. As a child, Lanier said her first “love” was a girl named Michelle. But after Lanier’s mother forbade her from seeing Michelle because “God would not love her anymore,” Lanier tried to start “liking boys.” She changed her style, her voice and even her walk. After years of dating boys, Lanier discovered that she was not happy. She dropped everything she was doing, got into her 1968 white Mustang, and just started driving. After singing along to Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” Lanier decided she would admit she was a lesbian. Lanier used humor to talk about sensitive issues. Her extroverted personality caused the audience of about 60 to laugh about seemingly personal issues. One scene stood out among the rest – Lanier’s wedding. She said she spent months planning the wedding. Lanier had the wedding at her home decorated with rainbow colored balloons. After the reception, the pair flew to Paris for their reception. Lanier paused. Then said, “She’s married to a man now.” Marco Barker, assistant to the provost of Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach, said her performance was outstanding. “[Lanier’s performance] really makes sense out of all these different experiences that are related to gender, race, dealing with parents and dealing with opposition,” Barker said. “Taking those [experiences] and making them creative is just outstanding.” The performance was hosted by the Women’s Center.
—-Contact J.J. Alcantara at [email protected]