Episode 43: ‘Sex & Politics’ (Jessica Cohen)

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Bawdy Storytelling
Host: Dixie De La Tour
Episode: 43: ‘Sex & Politics’ (Jessica Cohen)
Release Date: October 10, 2018

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Episode Overview

This episode’s core theme is the collision of sexual chemistry and political differences, told through the frank, funny, and intimately detailed personal story of Jessica Cohen. Against the backdrop of San Francisco’s sex-positive culture, Jessica recounts a charged romance with a politically opposite OkCupid date—a relationship that navigates stellar sexual connection, heated ideological clashes, and, ultimately, the practice of empathy across the “liberal/conservative” divide.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction & Context (01:22–04:46)

• Dixie De La Tour sets the stage, introducing Jessica Cohen as the daughter of renowned sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene, making Jessica a “second generation Bawdy storyteller.”
  • Memorable Quote: “Imagine your brother came and listened to you tell this story... They all came together because they're open minded, they're sex positive, and it's not weird when you talk about it all the time and you talk about it openly with your kids.” — Dixie (03:58)

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Jessica Cohen’s Story: Sex & Politics

The Meet Cute and Early Chemistry (04:46–07:56)

• Jessica describes connecting on OkCupid after months of lackluster dates. She’s drawn in by a sharp opening message referencing Bernard Cornwell novels—a rare shared nerdy interest.

• Their first date at Cafe La Presse is filled with witty banter and anticipation.

• Jessica intentionally schedules a two-hour “escape” for herself, demonstrating online dating savvy.

  Quote:
  “An endless possibility of time will fuck you every time.” — Jessica (06:56)

The Car Ride: Political Lightning Strike (07:57–10:16)

• Leaving the date, Jessica accepts a ride with her prospective hookup—who promptly turns on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show.
• A fiery exchange ensues:
  • Jessica voices intense discomfort (“I can't believe we're listening to this asshole... This can't be taken seriously. This is some dangerous shit.” — 09:15)
  • He’s bewildered, seeing it as “comedy gold.”
• They both lay their cards on the table about their political identities—with Jessica launching into her liberal bona fides:
  • Quote:
    “I am an artist, an art teacher, a woman, a Jew raised by sex positive parents in Berkeley, fucking California. I can milk a goat, I can pluck a chicken and I can build a fucking cabin. Yeah, I'm a liberal.” — Jessica (09:44)

The Sex is “Off the Charts” (10:17–12:17)

• Despite different worldviews, lust prevails. The next scene is a wildly passionate bedroom encounter, which Jessica rates as the best oral sex of her life.
• Vivid, comedic description of the hookup:
  • “I'm white and black and flashing colors. And then suddenly I think I made a sound that's never been made before and I hear this hysterical laughter.” (12:01)
  • She suspects she might have squirted “for the one and only time” in her life.

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Relationship Rhythms, Polyamory, and Intimacy Grows (12:18–13:33)

• Jessica describes their “perfect” poly arrangement: regular, no-strings sexual encounters, likened to “Chinese takeout with a side order of orgasm.” (12:56)
• Cuddling and emotional intimacy begin to creep in despite her original intent.

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Vulnerability, Family, and Compassion (13:34–15:16)

• The Republican lover confides about family struggles—his brother's schizophrenia and the financial pressures on their aging single mother.
• Jessica refrains from politicizing the moment, showing care instead:
  • “You can only love them and give as much as you have to give.” (14:20)
• He later reveals involvement in 12-step recovery and considers reconciling with his ex-wife, leading Jessica to gracefully release him:
  • “You go make yourself happy, dude. And it's been wonderful. Thank you. And I'll miss it.” (15:10)

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The Election Climax — Sex & Political Dissonance (15:17–15:45)

• As Obama’s reelection approaches, Jessica sends him a playful text:
  • “Hey, standing in line to cancel out your vote. How you doing?” (15:22)
• His reply? “Fuck you. What are you doing right now?” leading to passionate “election day humpy,” described as wild and almost animalistic. (15:30)

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What She Learned: Empathy Beyond Boundaries (15:46–16:34)

• Jessica closes with an unexpected takeaway:
  • Meeting this man showed her that “for the very first time, I had met a Republican who I didn't think needed to be drowned in a lake.”
  • She reflects on the need to extend compassion outward, from our immediate family to the broader world, regardless of differences:
    • Quote: “Every time I meet anybody, that I just need to push that ring out a little further.” — Jessica (16:33)

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Notable Quotes and Moments

• “It’s like Chinese takeout with a side order of orgasm.” — Jessica (12:56)
• “For the very first time, I had met a Republican who I didn't think needed to be drowned in a lake.” — Jessica (16:04)
• “He taught me something. And I've been thinking ever since then...every time I meet anybody, that I just need to push that ring out a little further.” — Jessica (16:33)

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Important Timestamps

• [04:46] – Jessica begins her story: OkCupid, shared literary nerdiness, first date plan.
• [07:57] – The pivotal car ride and political clash (“Rush Limbaugh incident”).
• [10:17] – The first hookup; best oral sex ever.
• [12:18] – Jessica explains their poly arrangement.
• [13:34] – Confessions and vulnerabilities: Family and 12-step work.
• [15:22] – Election day showdown with a sexual twist.
• [16:33] – Jessica’s concluding reflection on compassion beyond political lines.

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Tone & Style

The episode exudes bawdy, unfiltered, and self-aware humor—brisk, witty, and occasionally sentimental. Jessica’s storytelling is honest, earthy, and filled with vivid metaphors and comic exaggeration, embodying the ethos of Bawdy Storytelling’s sex-positive, nonjudgmental community.

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Concluding Takeaway

Jessica Cohen’s story is a celebration of sexual agency, the complexity of modern relationships, and the possibility of finding connection—erotic and even empathetic—across deep political divides. Both hilarious and thoughtful, it urges listeners to expand their circles of care, even (and especially) when disagreement seems insurmountable.

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For the full effect—laughter, explicit detail, and that unmistakably Bawdy honesty—don’t miss the episode itself.

Transcript

[A]

Hey there. Heads up. This podcast contains adult content and deals with adult subject matter. So make sure the coast is clear before you crank it up. Okay? You ready? Let's go.

[B]

All of my life I've never fit But I won't complain and I won't quit I am enormous. Get used to it. Everyone tells me I'm too much maybe it's just you're not enough for me can't you see I'm the kind of woman I'm supposed to be? Hey, my vagina is eight miles wide.

[C]

Absolutely everyone can come inside. If you're ever frightened, just run and hide.

[B]

My vagina is eight miles. Why? Why?

[C]

People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.

[B]

Well, I'm not a crook.

[A]

Hey there and welcome to episode 43 of the Body Storytelling podcast. I am sexual folklorist Dixie De La Tour. And you know what I just realized that next week is our two year anniversary of the relaunch of the podcast. We did one episode back in 2013. Didn't feel like my thing and I gave up. And two years ago we tried again. I would love to know what you think about the podcast and you could do that by writing [e-mail] you can also go wherever you listen to podcasts and write us a review. That means that other people find us. You boost our signal. It means that people read the reviews and go, oh, this sounds pretty cool. And wait, it's about buttholes. Better yet, I want to listen to that. You tell them that you listen to this podcast and you love it. So I have created this weird, wonderful life where I get to do what the fuck I want with my life. And that means coaching people to tell their stories of sex, kink and gender on stage of body storytelling. And I also work with people who are looking to work on their stories or maybe they just need an open minded person to talk to. They don't have anybody in their life that they can share these things with confidentially. And that means you can hire me. So if you need somebody to talk to or you want to work on a story that has subject matter that you feel like would be fun to work on with me, contact [e-mail] I'll let you know what the next steps are. We have a different kind of story for you for this episode of the Body Storytelling podcast. Our storyteller for this episode is Jessica Cohen. Jessica Cohen is someone that had pitched me a story a year or two ago and I loved it and ended up starting to work with her on that story. When I asked her to send me her bio so that I could introduce her on stage, I discovered that she was the daughter of one of my favorite storytellers of all time. There is an infamous sex surrogate, the most well known sex surrogate of all time and her name is Cheryl Cohen Green. And Sheryl Cohen Green was who was portrayed by Helen Hunt in the movie the Sessions. And one of my favorite shows of all time was called the seven Dirty Sins. Kind of like deadly sins, except all the sex was left in Cheryl Cohen Green was vanity that night. I loved working on stories with her. So when Jessica Cohen, her daughter, sent me her bio, I'm like, wait, you're Sheryl Cohen Green's daughter? So I really enjoy the fact that this is a second generation body storyteller. Her mom been on our stage and she pitched me and she ended up on stage and her whole family, whole family. Imagine your brother came and listened to you tell this story. They all came together because they're open minded, they're sex positive, and it's not weird when you talk about it all the time and you talk about it openly with your kids. This story is from Jessica Cohen.

[C]

I like your enthusiasm. So when I opened the door, I had been really nervous and filled with apprehension the whole time, but also sort of excited and I wasn't sure what to expect. I had been a little worried about our first conversation, but I opened the door and we made eye contact and that fucking smile. And the next thing I know, we were completely lip locked and there was a whole flight of stairs and a hallway that had to be navigated. But now I'm pressed up against my own bed and he's shorter than me, which was bugging me to begin with. But suddenly that shortness gives him the strength to grab my ass and l me onto my bed and shuck my jeans off all in one fucking move. I love this guy. And then he starts to go down on me. And I have to tell you, I've had some sex, but this might be the best oral sex of my fucking life. There are colors popping and then there's a long black period where there's writhing and screaming. And it came from me. And I'm thinking to myself, who would have known that this would have come through all of what I imagined was going to not work? And we met on OkCupid. So I had been on OkCupid for several months and I finally got an email that started with, I like your Joke. I read those books, too, and I discovered that he got my name. So my profile name was Sharps Squeeze, which refers specifically to the nerdiest adventure historical novels ever written by Bernard Cornwell. And no one else had ever gotten them. And I've had the hots for both the major characters. I'm imagining a very historical sandwich. And he got it. And apparently he was down for the sandwich because the conversation's going fast and furious. And I think it's time we're going to meet. We got to meet because there has to be actual physical chemistry. I've done the whole thing where you meet the guy, and that just doesn't work out. So I need to meet them fast. And we make a date. And I work in the city. At the time, I'm an art instructor for the Academy of Art College before it became a university. And my favorite restaurant in that area is on the corner of Grant and Busch, and it's called Cafe La Presse. And I go there. They have great cassoulet, but they also make a mean iced tea. And it's a hot summer day in San Francisco, and I've been teaching drawing all day. So I'm in the Birkenstocks, which are a commitment to dying alone. Yeah, the rest of the teachers told me that. And a T shirt and jeans. And I sit down and I order my tea. And I'm wondering if I'm going to recognize him, because the picture that I saw with his profile was him standing on a boat looking sort of masterful. But he had his hand raised, so there was a dark shadow cast across the first half of his face. So all I really got was a straw jawline with, you know, five o' clock shadow and big, square white Chiclet teeth, which were working for me. And he had thick wrists and hands like pot roasts with, you know, Vienna sausage fingers. They're masterful hands. And I thought he's been funny and witty, and he looks like he knows what he's doing. And knowing what you're doing is super hot. So I'm sitting there waiting, when sure enough, he walks through the door. And it's big French windows right on the street. And we're sitting there and he smiles and we make eye contact, and he walks over and he sits down, orders his drink. And the conversation starts. And it's pretty much just like it was online. But the whole time we're, like, sizing each other up. And I have smart. I have decided that I'm going to make a date for myself. In only two hours. Where I have to get out of there because anyone who's ever online dated will tell you an endless possibility of time will fuck you every time. So we're talking and it's great, and I'm starting to feel it. Like, I'm thinking, I will definitely fuck this man. When suddenly I realized two hours have passed and I have to go meet the girls. So I say, okay, I'm just gonna come clean. I already arranged a dinner date tonight in case this was a disaster. But I am serious about seeing you again. And he was like, great, I'm in. I want to see you again, too. And I was like, terrific. So I have to go get a BART train going back to Oakland. He said, well, weirdly enough, if you're feeling safe, I live in Oakland. You want to take a ride and we can talk in the car? And I thought, yeah, because, you know, he's a little shorter than I expected him to be, and I'm pretty sure I can take him even with his masterful hands. So we walk to his car and we get in and we start down the hill and we're smiling at each other, and it's a beautiful summer day in the city, and I'm feeling like I got everything working for me when he reaches across me and he turns on the radio and out comes the obnoxious voice of Rush Limbaugh. Yeah. So for those of you who are young, I will tell you that this is the man that paved the way for Alex Jones in Infowars. And I once described him as Ann Coulter, but with tits. So Russia Limbaugh is talking, which is synonymous. And absolutely the same thing is offending me when I say, I can't believe we're listening to this asshole. I don't even like the sound of his voice. And he starts laughing hysterically. And he goes, are you serious? This is pure comedy gold. And I go, this is not comedy gold if you're part of the group of people who he's actively fucking persecuting. And he says to me, persecuting? He's not persecuting anybody. This clearly can't be taken seriously. I said, stop. This can't be taken seriously. This is some dangerous shit. People like this listen to this lunatic and they think all their small minded crazy shit that they've had to stamp down in the dark is suddenly okay. And next thing you know, they're passing laws about who you get to fuck and what you get to do and whether or not you get equal pay and whether or not the color of your skin matters in the rest of the fucking world. He's fucking dangerous. He makes those people feel safe. So now he's looking at me and he looks a little concerned and he says, hey, are you liberal? And I go, what? Right, what? I am an artist, an art teacher, a woman, a Jew raised by sex positive parents in Berkeley, fucking California. I can milk a goat, I can pluck a chicken and I can build a fucking cabin. Yeah, I'm a liberal. So how the fuck did you end up in the Bay Area and you're not? You had a conscience 10 minutes ago. And I say the words and he just starts laughing. So we get back to my house and he says, so, have I blown it? Are we never going to date? Is my voting history going to blow everything? So I look at him and I go, actually, I only have one real test for that. And so I lean in and I press my face against his neck and I take a big snort right behind his ear and I lean and I go, he smells like sunshine and the bay and sweat and clean guy. And so I say, you'll be happy to know that in spite of your poor voting record, I'm prepared to fuck you. So we will make a date, at which point I will change your mind about the way the world works. And we make the date. Which leads us to the moment where this man is going down on me. So he's going down on me and he is just going for broke. World records are being set. I'm white and black and flashing colors. And then suddenly I think I made a sound that's never been made before and I hear this hysterical laughter. And his crazy face comes up from between my white, white thighs and he looks like the demented king of leprechauns. Like whatever is happening in his head is probably the worst fucking idea of your life. But you are down for that ride because it will be good. And he says to me, damn, girl, that was fucking amazing. And it looks like he's been hit with a bucket of water. So I'm pretty sure I might have squirted for the one and only time of my life. And I think to myself, I am a fucking super genius. I picked this guy up on OkCupid and everything's cool for a couple of months. We're doing really well. One or the other calls them and calls a person and he shows up. Or I show up super early in the morning before work or late at night after, and I don't have to say a fucking word. Shows up, does the deed, and gets the fuck out of my house. It's like Chinese takeout with a side order of orgasm. Right? This is what we're waiting for. I'm Paulie. I'm with a guy who's married. He's seeing me twice a week. It's almost perfect. I just need the edge shaved off, and that edge was shaved clean. So everything's going good. And then one day, I start to notice we're starting to get a little cuddly, but I'm down for the cuddle. And then I start to hear what he's wanting to talk about. And what he's talking about is he was raised by a single mom in a very rural place in Washington state. And his older brother has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. And so his mom's older and it's gonna press against her income. And he's worried and wants to take care of them, but he doesn't know what to do. And because I'm a good human, I actually don't say, yeah. So this is what a safety net does for the social system. We take care of each other with that tax money that could be going to something other than a bomb. Yeah, that's what we do. But I don't. I just pet his head and I say, you can only love them and give as much as you have to give. So we are seeing each other, and then I get this message from him, and we get together, and in the morning, he says to me, so, yeah, I also have been doing 12 step. I'm AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, and I'm on the fourth step, and I've gotten to the place where I start talking to my ex wife so I can apologize to her. And it's become clear to me that we may be able to get back together. Are you gonna be okay if I need to step off? And I think to myself, you know, I'm seeing other people and the sex is amazing, but I don't have to be all shitty and selfish and crappy. This has been great, but I can let you go. When I say I'm behind you 100%, you go make yourself happy, dude. And it's been wonderful. Thank you. And I'll miss it. So months pass, and Obama's about to be elected for the second time. And I'm standing in line to cast my vote. And it dawns on me that somewhere in the Bay Area, this man is about to cast his vote. And it cracks me up. So I take out my phone and I type in, hey, Standing in line to cancel out your vote. How you doing? So I vote and I leave, and I'm walking home and my phone buzzes and I open it and I get, fuck you. What are you doing right now? So we had some hellacious election day humpy. Like, this was crazy. This was like flying monkeys and sex weasels. It was good. And time passed, and it became clear that even though things hadn't worked out with his wife and he was dating other people, that the truth is, we were very different people. But for the very first time, I had met a Republican who I didn't think needed to be drowned in a lake. And I got to see that what we were really missing between all of us was some level of compassion. Like he really cared about his mother and his brother. It was just hard for him to press those rings like rings in a pond. How far out do those rings go where you call yourself compassionate and help other people by voting in a way that allows them the same comfort and safety that you would give your brother and your mother? So he taught me something. And I've been thinking ever since then, every time I meet anybody, that I just need to push that ring out a little further. Thank you.

[A]

Tell me something.

[C]

With all this money coming in from.

[A]

Both sides, how could anything possibly ever get done?

[C]

It doesn't. That's the genius of the system.

[B]

Some folks back home decided they wanted a law passed, so they called their.

[A]

Local congressman, and he said, show me the money. I don't care who you are or.

[C]

Where you work, get your ass out and vote.

[A]

Hey, there. So two years, but we're still without ads. So I need help. I need lots of help. And that means that you can help me pay the people who create this podcast for you who do the sound editing, who do the sound recording. So if you support us on Patreon, we can pay these people. Patreon is spelled P A T R E O N dot com, and I'm sure you've heard of it by now, but in case you haven't, it is a way to provide ongoing support to make sure that the things you value stay out there. As I said last week, we were very close to 100 patrons. At 100 patrons, I am going to be releasing a huge special patron only story. It's gonna be just for you guys, and I'm gonna ask you not to share it with anybody, because it's a secret. We've had a few new people sign up. Thank you to the new people who support us on Patreon. Now, but we're still not at a hundred. We're only two away. We're at 98 right now. So if you go to patreon.com bodi and you support us, then when I get to 100, you're going to get a special episode. I'm gonna have some pictures, I'm gonna have some extra weirdness, and you're gonna get a feel for what my life is like. Sounds like I have a pretty amazing life, right? It's pretty cool. And I'm gonna let you in on a behind the scenes that was really fun and really fresh. Fresh story for you. So support us on Patreon and you'll have it really soon. Thanks. You know how we do live music on every episode? I think this time we're going to try something new. It felt like it went with this story and I was turned on to this recently and I decided that this would be a good one for this episode. This is another song from Pussy Riot. It's called Make America Great Again.

[B]

What do you want the world to look like? What do you want it to be? Do you know that the world has two sides and nobody is free? Did your mama come from Mexico Papa come from Palestine Seeking all through Syria Crossing all the borderlines Let gather people in Listen to your women Stop killing black children Make America great again Let other people in Listen to your women Stop killing black children Make America great again could you imagine a politician calling a woman a dog? Do you want to stay in the kitchen? Is that where you belong? How do you picture the perfect leader? How do you want him to be? Has he promoted the use of torture and killing families? Did your mama come from Mexico Papa come from Palestine Sneaking all through Syria Crossing all the borderlines Let other people in Listen to your women Stop killing black children Make America great again Let other people in Listen to your women Stop killing black children Make America great again did your mama come from Mexico Papa come from Palestine Let other people in Listen to your women Stop killing black children Make America great again Let other people in Listen to your women Stop killing black children Make America great again.

[A]

Oh, this podcast is so much fun, isn't it? I'm having a great time. Somehow I feel like something's missing, though. I don't know what is it? Could it be a refreshing cocktail? I personally like lemon drops myself. Sugar in the rim. Could it be, I don't know, weird games that you could play with people? Maybe open minded community? Maybe a chance to get your flirt on or sit next to somebody and have a reason to tell your own story. But what I'm trying to say is you're gonna have a lot of fun if you go to a live body storytelling. We have people who meet through the podcast and become friends over their mutual enjoyment of off color stories. And they decide to come together and meet in person for the first time at a body storytelling. And they usually come up to me and say, we just met two minutes ago and we met because of you. And if you know me, that's my favorite thing. I'm a connector. I love bringing people together. I love helping you find the things you're looking for, the friends you need in the world, maybe a good hookup. But what you're looking for, that's my superpower. And I can tell you I can only do it if you come to a live show. So let's talk about the upcoming live shows for body storytelling on October 18th in San Francisco at the Verdi Club. The theme is Never say Never. From Hell no to Fuck yeah. I've never done this theme before. I don't know what's gonna happen. I pretty much never know what's gonna happen and I've been that way for 12 years now. I never know what's gonna happen. On October 25th in Seattle, the theme is Wicked. That's our Halloween show. It's gonna be at the Rebar Seattle, which is this great TV queer bar in Seattle. It's one of the oldest queer bars in Seattle. On November 9th we have a Friday night show. The theme is going to be Pax A Wallop did it in Seattle recently, had a really good time and some great stories. So I'm going to try it again in San Francisco to see what San Francisco does with it. We are going to have Creature Hole come down from Seattle for the very first time. We want to make them feel welcome. So I hope you'll be there to cheer and hoot and holler and. And also I have decided since it's Friday night show, it is time to pull out the games. So we only pull the games out a few times a year. People get excited about the games. It creates this sort of frenzy and we have games like OK Pervert, which is basically the Internet but it's analog and you know that everybody's right there in the room so there's no time wasters who go, oh, I'm sorry, I was in the Denver section of whatever and I guess I put the wrong information in. And. And so I'm hundreds of miles away. Too bad, so sad. We're not hooking up. They're right there in the room. You know, you just gotta find each other. You know you're there. And the other game besides Bango, which is at every show, the other game is, okay, get ready. It's weird. Sniff Test. Sniff Test is our pheromone game. It can be a dating game. It can definitely be that. But it's also just a way to learn about other people and get a whiff of their pheromones. It's one of those ideas that I had that people really love. So we're bringing the games out, and it's a Friday night, so I really hope you're gonna be there. It's gonna be an extra special show. Last but not least, we're coming to New York, specifically to Brooklyn. I am doing a show with the Risk Podcast. We're collaborating yet again. We had a blast last year and we've collaborated, I don't know, four, five, six times now. Most of those times have been in San Francisco, but last year, Kevin and J.C. convinced me to do a show in Brooklyn with them, and it was so much fun. So we're doing it again. On Wednesday, November 14th, we'll be at the Bell House in Brooklyn. The theme of the night is Pervert, because you are. I am Kevin. Allison is. Let's all get together and talk about it. If you want to pitch me for that show, you're going to pitch to Kevin and the Risk podcast because they are going to be handling the pitches. We'll be working together on the lineup, so get your pitch in as soon as possible. That's pitchesisk.show.com to submit your story. I'll get to hear your story, but make sure you submit it to them so that it can get into the queue of stories that we're going to consider for the show. If you want to pitch for any of the other shows, the Body storytelling shows, I'm [e-mail]. send me your story. I'll work with you. I'll coach you. I'll support you. I'll put you on stage. I will bounce up and down in a low cut top so that people applaud for you a lot. I hope to see you really soon at a live Body storytelling show.

[C]

Oh, fuck yeah.

[A]

This podcast is brought to you by TeamBody. Team Body consists of David Grossoff, our sound engineer, Joe Moore, our archivist and video person, Dana Hanna, our project manager, Marty Garcia, our podcast producer, who is doing an epic job. And big thanks to the part of Team Body. That is you. You're tuning in. You're reviewing us.

[B]

Us.

[A]

You're telling your friends about us. And you're gonna come say hi to me at a live body storytelling show sometime really soon. I am sexual folklorist Dixie de La Tour. And here's a peek at what's next. And I bury my face in there and I lick and I stick my tongue in hard and. Oh, what's this? A moan escapes my corpse?

[C]

Don't want to be an American idiot? Don't want a nation under the new media? Hey, can you hear the sound of hysteria? Let's upload all mine America.