Mission sex stories show is good, clean [and naughty] fun

Mission sex stories show is good, clean [and naughty] funDixie De La Tour (center) with vintage porn stars Howie Gordon and Annie Sprinkle. | Photo: Tex Allen
David-Elijah Nahmod
Published on April 24, 2018

Dixie De La Tour loves her name.

"I'm a tour guide, taking people out for new experiences," she said. "I'm a tour guide to the wild side."

For more than a decade, she's hosted Bawdy Storytelling, a monthly event where participants share personal, true-life tales related to sex, kink, body image, gender and other issues. 

Photo: Dixie De La Tour

"It's more than a storytelling show," De La Tour told Hoodline. "When I first came to San Francisco, I was invited to sex parties—I fell down the rabbit hole. I started exploring different cultures: kink, swinging, polyamory, and queer culture. It was basically me trying to find myself."

After building a network, De La Tour started organizing and hosting her own erotic events. "When I discovered storytelling, I realized that this was the one thing our communities needed to bring them all together."

Bawdy Storytelling takes on the third Thursday of each month at Verdi Club, (2424 Mariposa St. at Potrero Avenue), and also has a home in Seattle at saloon Re-bar.

At events, participants are in the spotlight for an average of ten minutes; De La Tour often coaches speakers before they take the stage.

"A good story is totally relatable whether or not you share the person's sexual proclivities," she said. "Storytelling is about what drives us to do what we do." 

In addition to storytelling, De La Tour has created other activities designed to bring people together.

"I created a game called 'Bang-o,'" she said. "Bang-o is an opportunity to talk to nine strangers—each one is in a box. Each one has a question in it. You ask a question and they tell stories. Bang-o makes people talk to each other. You might get a date or a new best friend, or get invited to a wild party!"

De La Tour with musician Rachel Lark. | Photo: JX Bell

Music is also part of Bawdy Storytelling. "We have musicians who create custom songs for the show," De La Tour said. "Songs about Me Too culture, new sexual experiences, gender identity and beyond."

Though her first name evokes an exotic dancer from the last century, De La Tour said it was offered by friends. "When I first moved here, I had a thick Southern accent," she said. "So someone in the BDSM scene made fun of my accent and called me 'Dixie.' The name stuck."

Originally from Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, De La Tour moved to San Francisco from Atlanta. "One day, I realized that there must be a place that isn't racist," she said. "I didn't know where that place might be. Then one of my old friends moved to San Francisco to go to college." 

Today, she lives with a partner in the city's southeast.

De La Tour and friends. | Photo: Tanya Gilstrap

"I like that the Bayview is racially diverse," she says. "It's less congested. I live at the foot of Bayview Hill which has a beautiful 180 degree view of the entire city and the peninsula. I have a large dog, so he gets a three mile walk there every morning." De La Tour said the neighborhood is sometimes lacking in amenities, but SoMa is a quick drive away.

"SoMa has great restaurants and is the core of the kink and leather neighborhood," she said. "Dore Alley and Folsom Street Fair happen because leather culture is based there."

Although Bawdy Storytelling is for adults, De La Tour said "the goal is to make people feel welcome and to make new friends. The show is all about community."