Bawdy Storytelling

Are you there, Bawdy? It’s me, Reid… Talk dirty to me!

To my dear friends and sex geeks,

For many people, talking about sex and intimacy feels like going to the dentist. I spend a lot of time combining communication skill sets, humor and accurate sexual health information when I teach or lecture to role model that sex doesn’t have to be the monstrous evil or awkward conversation stopper that the rest of the world makes it out to be. This is why I am such an advocate of Dixie De La Tour’s Bawdy Storytelling event, why I wear my “I’m a Bawdy Storyteller” pin proudly, am a self-proclaimed Bawdy-Addict, and why I’ve created this page to say so (and show so!).

Phone sex with my girlfriend while under FBI phone tap? But of course! ONLY at Bawdy...

While some of the stories people tell at Bawdy might not be the best representations of Political Correctness: the Tranny Pro-Dom who judged her client’s kink but found a way to connect with his humanity later… Others aren’t necessarily the most sterling examples of safer sex in action: Jessica Rabbit’s tale of unprotected sex in public at a party that wasn’t an orgy… They all are, however, stories that demonstrate, by the very telling of them publically, that talking openly and honestly about the act of sex can bring people closer together.

Bawdy's first LA appearance's theme was "Californicatin'." I told a story about hangover sex with my moviestar friend's Hollywood agent after a night of partying with none other than... Lindsay Lohan!

For the greater comedic momentum of a tale, I’ve sometimes left out a salient detail or two about thorough safer sex negotiations* (*safer sex did happen in my stories unless otherwise noted, promise!). And while I wonder if I’m a worse sex educator for leaving out that I used a condom when I first slept with my lesbian friend’s partner during that foursome with my boyfriend, it is my belief that just witnessing people talking about sex openly and without shame is enough to change someone’s life. I’ve seen hit happen with the people in my workshops and my coaching clients, and at Bawdy.

Just witnessing people talking about sex openly and without shame is enough to change someone’s life…

Normalizing that human beings have sex, that sex is a good, and that sex can take so many, many forms is something the world needs more of these days. I don’t know if talking about sex will create world peace, but when we can laugh together about how awkward sex can be (my story about sleeping with the Swinger couple in Jamacia), or be moved collectively by a tragic tale (Xandir O’Cando’s abuse at Cross Creek Program for LGBT ‘troubled teens; Morgan’s 2-story fall at a construction site which gave her the strength to take the leap into M-to-F transition…), people find the courage to embrace their own sexual selves more. If that embrace leads to less self-hatred, more pleasure and increased sexual health, I think that can only be good for the 6.7+ billion of us. (Plus, do know how hard it is to drive a tank AND get laid at the same time? Make love, not war!)

Annimatedly sharing a very funny tale about being picked up by a Swinger couple I met at a resort in Jamacia...

Telling our stories gives others permission to tell theirs. And in the speaking, no matter how funny or sad, we reclaim our sexual voices. The silence that Culture shushed upon us gets lifted and we can celebrate rather than celibate.

This page exists as a convenient place for you to learn about this great event (and how YOU can tell YOUR story), as well as watch some of my favorite Bawdy Storytelling tales; some mine, some not mine, all great! Enjoy watching our salaciously sordid tales!

~Reid Mihalko
June 2011

Bawdy his-and-herstory…

Bawdy, started by Dixie De La Tour in 2005 in a Burning Man warehouse (I know – awesome), stars a dynamic, eclectic mix of sex educators, actors, writers and comedians along with plenty of everyday people brave enough to share their sexual adventures and exploits onstage in 10 minutes or fewer. Each Bawdy session has a theme, which ranges from specific to abstract but never strays from deliciously erotic (past examples include “Girl-on-Girl,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and “Cockblocked!”)

Bawdy Storytelling creator Dixie De La Tour and her six, proud storytellers at the first-ever Bawdy East Bay event themed, "The Unlikeliest Places!" I told my true-life tale about sex in a tent with two lesbians at Burning Man...

Dixie best describes the fanciful, carnivalesque, and welcoming nature of these events when she writes, “Each evening of true dirty stories features tales of carnal wins and epic fails with no scripts, no nets, and no holds barred.” You come, you listen, you laugh, and if you’re lucky, you pick up a few new tips and tricks for the bedroom (Be the change you wish to see in the bedroom, people!).

The seven proud men and women plus Bawdy Storytelling's creator, Dixie De La Tour, on stage for a bow at the first Sex Geek Raodtrip to LA to pop our Hollywood Bawdy Cherry!

Here is a video of me performing at my very first Bawdy’s, themed “Sex Wonk,” followed by a few other favorites…  Enjoy!

Photo credits: Julia O Test, Daniel Discala