Podcast Summary

Bawdy Storytelling – Episode 293: ‘Man’s Country’ (Race Bannon)

Release Date: June 11, 2024
Host: Dixie De La Tour
Guest Storyteller: Race Bannon

Overview of Episode Theme

This episode of Bawdy Storytelling centers on groundbreaking, real-life sexual narratives—this time featuring a raw and liberating account from Race Bannon, an icon in leather, kink, and LGBTQ activism. The main story is a candid recounting of Race’s unforgettable first time at a legendary Chicago gay bathhouse, "Man’s Country," in the 1970s. The episode encapsulates themes of sexual exploration, coming-of-age in queer spaces, kink community history, and the affirming power of sex-positive storytelling.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Host’s Reflection on Family and Values

(00:54–09:54)

• Dixie opens with vulnerability, sharing her struggle reconnecting with her family post-pandemic, highlighting how division around COVID vaccines has impacted her ability to visit.
  • Notable Quote (06:56):
    “If that's what you believe, that I'm probably not going to go to the top of a mountain in West Virginia and hang out with you. We have differing beliefs.”
• She transitions from this frustration to finding solace in her Bawdy Storytelling community—people who courageously share stories, even in the face of stage fright.

2. Introduction of Race Bannon and Their Impact

(09:55–10:32)

• Dixie lauds Race Bannon’s decades of leadership, activism, and writing in LGBTQ, leather, kink, HIV/STI prevention, and polyamory arenas, emphasizing his skill as a storyteller and mentor.

3. Race Bannon’s Story: First Night at Man’s Country

(10:33–22:19)

A. Setting the Stage: 1973 Chicago

• Race is 19, newly out, working in a notorious gay bar (“the Glory Hole”) and embarking on a journey of sexual self-discovery.

B. Arrival at Man’s Country

• The bathhouse is described as decadent, multi-storied, with a restaurant, dance floor, theater, and an infamous sexual underground.
• Race’s induction includes a striking encounter:
  • Notable Quote (11:59):
    “The very first person I see is this incredibly sexy...leather vest and leather chaps...but something was off because he was limping.”
  • The man’s foot is smeared with grease—a product of recent foot-play (fisting with the foot), which awes and amuses Race.
  • Notable Quote (12:52):
    “I just shoved my foot up some guy's ass, and now I have to hobble to the showers on my heel to not get grease on the carpet.”

C. First Orgy Room Experience

• Race explores the bathhouse, ends up in a classic red-lit orgy room filled with naked, entwined men.
  • Notable Moment (14:00):
    “There’s this pulsing music coming down, and naked men's bodies everywhere, fucking, sucking… I was in heaven.”
• He connects physically with a stranger—who turns out to be the same leather-clad, limping man named Bob.

D. Into Bob’s “Supreme” Room: Kink Unleashed

• Bob invites Race to his private room—lavishly equipped with a full bed, a leather sling, and an array of leather and toys.
• Initiates a symbolic ritual: binding leather thongs around their wrists as a temporary dom/sub pact.
  • Notable Quote (16:37):
    “Most guys would put these around our necks, but I just met you. Consider this our dominant and submissive commitment to each other for the next hour or so.”
• The next hour is a vivid, consensual exploration of leather, chaps, roleplay, restraints, fisting, rough play, pain, and boundary-pushing BDSM.
• Race notes how Bob drew out new dimensions in him as a dom and lover.
  • Notable Quote (17:59):
    “He had the most talented hole. My God.”

E. Aftermath and Lingering Connection

• Though Race and Bob wouldn’t have sex again like that, each privately treasured the memory and the wrist thong for days.
  • Notable Quote (20:55):
    “That was one of the most amazing times I ever had at the baths. And I’m a bathhouse slut. I think that was the first time I had ever heard a gay man refer to themselves as a slut. And I loved it.”
• Race’s story merges humor, nostalgia, and reverence for queer sexual spaces and self-discovery.
  • Closing Thank You (21:41):
    “Bob, thank you. Thank you for helping me go to that next level in my BDSM and kink explorations. And by the way—can I put my foot up your ass?”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Race Bannon on Leather Community First Impressions (10:33):
  “Doesn’t she have great tits? I mean, like, really, when a gay man says you have great tits, you’ve got great tits.”
• On Foot Fetish Initiation (12:52):
  “I just shoved my foot up some guy’s ass, and now I have to hobble to the showers on my heel to not get grease on the carpet.”
• Summing Up Bathhouse Culture (13:48):
  “An orgy room. So I walk into this room, very dimly lit with red lights...naked men’s bodies everywhere, fucking, sucking... I was in heaven.”
• Dom/Sub Ritual and Symbolism (16:37):
  “Consider this our dominant and submissive commitment to each other for the next hour or so.”
• On Queer Self-Acceptance (20:55):
  “That was one of the most amazing times I ever had at the baths. And I’m a bathhouse slut. I think that was the first time I had ever heard a gay man refer to themselves as a slut. And I loved it.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:54–09:54: Dixie’s personal story of family estrangement, COVID, and values
• 09:55–10:32: Dixie introduces Race Bannon and his community legacy
• 10:33–21:36: Race Bannon’s narrative of his first night at Man’s Country
  • 12:52: Foot-fucking encounter
  • 14:00: Orgy room experience
  • 16:37: Leather ritual and dom/sub play initiation
  • 21:41: Emotional gratitude and humorous call-back to foot play
• 21:36–22:18: Race’s epilogue/reflection
• (All other sections are musical interludes or host commentary about events, podcasts, or support and are omitted for this summary.)

Tone and Language

• Candid, humorous, explicit, deeply personal, and celebratory of sexual authenticity and self-exploration.
• Both Dixie and Race model fearless vulnerability—Dixie through her openness about family strife and community, Race through a graphic, nostalgic, and empowering story of gay sexual awakening.

Conclusion

This episode is a poignant, explicit, and unforgettable snapshot of queer sexual history and personal transformation. Race Bannon’s story is not only about sex but about connection, empowerment, and the importance of queer spaces that foster both. It’s a masterclass in storytelling, layered with warmth, humor, and genuine gratitude for the communities that let us find—and fully become—ourselves.