LGBTQ at Wesleyan is a new column in The Argus that aims to highlight queer voices on campus, giving special attention to LQBTQ students and staff of color. It will allow readers to get to know these individuals beyond their activities and accomplishments, offering a closer look into their lived histories, what drives them, and what makes them the people they are today.
We begin in Texas, in a suburb about 20 minutes away from downtown Dallas. Lincoln Turner ’25, then in high school, returned home from an afternoon spent rehearsing for a student theater production to cook dinner with his parents. It was there, in a house filled with the scent of red beans, rice, and cornbread, that he first discovered his love for acting.
“It’s where I really discovered the things I want to be and the dreams I want to follow,” Turner said. “I look back on when my little brother and I and my friends on the street would make movies together. I would always be the actor in them, [and] my brother would be the filmmaker.… He’s going to school for film right now.”
Home, to Turner, is two places. It is back in Dallas with his family and friends, and it is here in Middletown, surrounded by the community he has come to love.
“I grew up [in] a very loving environment,” Turner said. “I [dealt] with bullying in middle school, yes, but I didn’t really let that deter me. I wouldn’t call it toxic positivity, either. I’d say it really was [just] a very joyful upbringing for the most part.”
Though he was often bullied in middle school, Turner was able to flourish thanks to the unconditional love and support he received from those closest to him. In the almost six semesters that he has been here, Turner has once again found a group of people who he, in his own words, is able to be a light around: shining brilliantly and unapologetically, illuminating the way for anyone else who may need it in turn.
“The people [make it] home for me,” Turner said. “It’s been a wild ride…but really, it’s always been the peers, the castmates, the directors, the professors, [and] the mentors I’ve found along the way that have made me feel like it’s not only okay to live and be myself, but [that] it’s imperative and is welcomed and cherished here.”
Having applied to college with the intent to pursue theater, Turner found his love for the stage amplified and affirmed by his acting experiences on campus.
“When I came in [to the University], I was going to be an actor, that [was] it,” Turner said. “I had an interest in writing things and directing, but I didn’t really think I could do those things as part of my future career…. The first play I ever did here, ‘Oedipus El Rey,’ was a huge triumph for me…. Being in ‘Assassins’ a year later and getting to do my first Stephen Sondheim musical [alongside] some of the most amazing singers on this campus and [realizing] ‘Oh my gosh, I am at that level. I have that potential’….. It was huge.”
Today, Turner continues to wow audiences on campus with his performances onstage, not only as an actor, but also as a singer-songwriter and rapper. After discovering his passion for music, he began collaborating with Woody Woody ’25 on producing his first extended play, LINK DOG.
“I still remember the first [song] that [Woody and I] recorded…. ‘It’s Link Dog,’ [which I think] everyone knows,” Turner said. “Fun fact, I wrote that song in 30 minutes and we produced it in one afternoon. We then produced another song…‘Man in the Moon’ which [has] a very different vibe. I actually wrote that song after having an anxiety attack. [When] we finished ‘Man in the Moon,’ we were both silent…. I was nearly in tears.… But he said, and I’ll never forget: ‘So this is what it is to work with a real artist’.… When he said [that], [it] was shaking, [it] was empowering.… And there have been so many other experiences like that, whether they’re arts-centered, whether they’re in classes and I’m learning things or contributing to conversations.… There have been so many great, amazing moments at Wesleyan that could each be their own interview, or really their own story.”
Turner is many things. Black. Queer. A Texan. A proud Cardinal. A multi-talented actor, singer-songwriter, and rapper, but most importantly, a bold and beautiful storyteller.
“I want to tell stories that resonate with people,” he said. “Being able to vocalize all these things I’ve been feeling about my experiences [with] being Black and being queer and feeling like I’m not enough, which I still do deal with [sometimes].”
As a child, Turner grew up reading stories with his parents and watching cartoons on TV, but never quite felt represented in the media he was consuming. Though he could easily put himself in the shoes of his favorite characters, imagining himself on grand adventures in faraway lands or in some alternate universe on a regular summer day, he never truly felt seen.
“I saw hints of representation here and there, but I didn’t really get to see the stories that I was interested in, or at least to the full extent that I could connect with them,” Turner said. “That’s kind of [what] drives me in my storytelling. It’s getting to really tell these stories from my experience and from my voice, ’cause I feel like only I can.”
To Turner, there is a certain idea of what “the Black story” or what “the queer story” is. He feels that as a Black man, there is the expectation that he base his stories and art around racial trauma—a problematic notion that he intends to overthrow.
“I get to define and choose [how I present my] stories,” Turner said. “I want to be able to provide those stories to people who might not have that representation or might not feel represented by what ‘Black artwork’ currently is.… [I want to] have people see and understand these happier tales that I’m able to tell, and these powerful, [difficult] stories as well.”
Ultimately, Turner wants to tell stories that leave the world a more joyful and empathetic place. While he considers theater-making to be his primary form of artistic expression, Turner intends to use his voice, regardless of genre or form, to bridge the gaps in a world torn asunder by intolerance and divisiveness.
“[I have a poster that reads]: ‘Why theater? Why do we do theater?’” Turner said. “It basically goes through all these different things…. ‘Theater is math, theater is economics, theater is humanities, theater is arts.’ Then it goes [on to say]: ‘We do theater not so that you will be a performer all your life. We do theater not so that you can change the world. We do theater so that you will be more empathetic. So that you will be more human. So that you will be more compassionate.’”
Turner is currently at work on multiple creative projects, including his first studio album. In addition to this, he is preparing for the Spike Tape production of “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, along with writing a musical titled “The Mountain Morgan Climbed.”
“[‘Much Ado About Nothing’] is a Y2K retelling, [and] it’s the first and only time I’ll ever be a captain or quarterback of a football team,” Turner said. “My production team [for ‘The Mountain Morgan Climbed’] is assembled, the script is finished, the score will be finished by the end of this month, and we’re going to be pitching it [soon]. Those are the kinds of big things people can expect of me, both in this semester and the one to follow.”
Turner attributes his present success to his optimism and ability to reflect. This, he believes, allows him to truly appreciate the great experiences and grow from the not-so-great—to laugh without inhibition and celebrate, to keep his head held high in the face of adversity, and to be grateful for whatever comes his way, both in the moment and in hindsight.
“There’s a reason for everything that happens,” Turner said. “That’s why I don’t really do regret. I think everything that has happened to me has led to me being where I am right now, and I wouldn’t change that for the world…. I’m at my dream school, I’m majoring in the thing I’ve been doing since I was a kid, I am finally completely accepting and embracing of everything that I am, who I am, who I like…. I have [gone on] a long road to get to this place. And [that’s] not to say I’m still not on that road.”
Turner hopes to change the lives of others for the better through this optimistic attitude.
“At the same time, I’m glad to know that I’m making [an] impact and [am] able to, by sharing some fraction of my story, [help] people feel inspired and empowered and loved like they are badass and beautiful, which we all are, in our own ways,” Turner said. “[If] even one person feels influenced and better by me just existing, then I’ve won. Then I’m already winning. You cannot convince me otherwise.”
Ryan Wong can be reached at rwong01@wesleyan.edu.