Niagara series ‘Coming Out Stories’ returns in March with Bif Naked
Falynn Shaw’s speaker series found new life once it went virtual after pandemic
For Falynn Shaw, being sent home by the pandemic ended up being a blessing for her speaker series “Coming Out Stories.”
Instead of a small crowd gathering at Niagara Falls History Museum, she suddenly had hundreds watching online. Which meant more people hearing stories of unique individuals “finding their true selves.”
Now with a bigger audience, the show’s third season premieres March 4 with Canadian rock singer Bif Naked as the first guest. Shaw says it’s an interview that brings the show to the “next level.”
“Bif has been a hero of mine for many years and the amount of respect I hold for her is huge.”
Naked, a cancer survivor and social justice advocate, will discuss her life and career as a bisexual woman.
“The significance of having an internationally renowned punk rock artist is huge,” says Shaw, “and it will bring more attention to the series and open more opportunities for the future.”
Shaw started the series three years ago as an offshoot of her column ‘LGBTQ+ In the City’ in the local weekly The Sound. Niagara Falls History Museum then gave her the space to host a regular show with co-host Patrick Alexander.
Shaw says the first two series had a “limited audience,” but things turned around last March when the pandemic shifted everything virtual. Guests such as comedian and trans advocate Alice Rose and Indigenous elder Linda Hampton worked well in the new format, and then came the Series 2 finale with gender diverse punk band Saint Stone, which reached nearly 2,000 views.
“This is incredible in comparison to the audience the series used to have.”
Shaw’s love of music motivated her to seek out more musical guests for the third season, which prompted her to contact Bif Naked through social media.
Also in store for the third season is Lorenzo Cromwell, a gay man ordained reverend deacon in the Niagara Diocese of the Anglican Church in 2018.
The series is hosted on Zoom and can be viewed on the museum’s Youtube page.