Podcast Summary: Bawdy Storytelling – Episode 77: "Communion" (Sister Penny Costal)

Host: Dixie De La Tour
Release Date: June 5, 2019

Overview

This episode features a moving, humorous, and subversive story from Sister Penny Costal about growing up queer in the deeply religious South and having a highly unconventional “communion” in a Baptist church’s baptismal. Host Dixie De La Tour provides her signature bawdy, warm, and inclusive narrative touch, celebrating community, storytelling, and sex-positivity throughout the episode.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening & Community Announcements

• Dixie reflects on podcast accolades: Recently named one of Esquire’s top 15 sex podcasts.
• Audience inclusivity: Emphasizes wanting the show to reach everyone—“not the target audience” doesn’t apply here.
• Listener engagement: Dixie invites listeners to a Portland meetup (06/09/2019) to foster real-life connections, furthering the sense of community her podcast aims to build.
• Personal milestones: Dixie shares her recent TED Talk audition, revealing her vulnerability and drive to inspire broader sex-positive conversations.
  • “When you open your mouth, stuff happens. So I just opened my mouth a lot.” (08:28–08:33)

2. Introduction to Sister Penny Costal

• Background: Originally from New Albany, Mississippi; long-time member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; advocate for diversity and social justice.
• Personal connection: Dixie and Sister Penny’s first meeting at Burning Man, their shared Southern roots, and a wild story about living in the same Atlanta apartment building—later occupied by members of Arrested Development.
• Foreshadowing: Dixie recounts hearing Sister Penny’s story of faith, oppression, and rebellion—expressing her astonishment and delight at finally bringing the tale to the Bawdy stage.

3. Main Story: "Communion" by Sister Penny Costal ([12:13])

Setting the Scene: Southern Church Life & Family Dynamics

• Vivid depiction of small-town Mississippi: “Five miles from Cotton Plant, three miles from Myrtle…”
• Family routines: Waking up to gospel music, breakfast, and Sunday dinner traditions.
• Contrasts between public morality (grandmother’s church attendance) and private subversions (grandfather’s detour to the barbecue joint instead of church).
  • “Grandmother would get out and... say, 'Hugh, you make sure you take that boy to church.'…About one block we would take a right where we were supposed to take a left and we were on our way to Coleman's Barbecue.” ([13:03])

Faith, Hypocrisy, and Discovery

• The grandmother’s discomfort after a hateful sermon targeting LGBTQ people, despite her own connections to a local lesbian couple.
  • “She felt uncomfortable because my grandfather worked for a lesbian couple... They were like my aunties. I never even knew they were lesbians. Grandmother always said, 'They're friends.'” ([15:22])
• The preacher’s response to abuse (“stand by your man”) pushes Sister Penny’s mother toward atheism—a critique of religion’s harmful dogma.

Secret Teenage Love & Rebellion

• Sister Penny’s coming out journey: closeted but acutely aware of her sexuality at 17.
• Her secret boyfriend, Robert Shannon—shared discovery, love, and longing in an oppressive environment.
• “Robert was my secret love. We had discovered our homosexuality together, and we were basically boyfriends. But we couldn't really do anything about it.” ([16:40])

The Act: Sex in the Baptismal Font

• Inspired by childhood memories and recent pain from church hypocrisy, Penny and Robert sneak into the Baptist church at midnight, recalling sacred and taboo spaces from their youth.
• They enter the church’s baptismal—where both had been baptized as kids—and have sex in the water as an act of both love and defiance.
  • “Robert noticed something… At the top, above the choir pit, was a set of curtains… I said, that's the baptismal… Robert said, ‘Wouldn’t it be funnier if we had sex in this water?’… We took off our clothes, and before we knew it, we were naked.” ([18:25])
  • “You know what the difference between naked and nekkid is? Naked is when you’re naked, and nekkid is when you’re up to no good.” ([19:10])
• Penny’s reflections on guilt and spirituality: wrestling with whether this was “sin” or a necessary assertion of authentic selfhood against stifling doctrine.
  • “At that time, the God that I believed in didn't have a problem with homosexuality… I have never felt guilty since.” ([21:55])
• Signature Southern wit: “So I guess I'm off to hell, and I even wore loafers in case the devil makes me walk a long way.” ([22:20])

4. Pride, Honesty, and Community

• Post-story, Dixie underscores the transformative power of sharing sexual stories honestly and without shame—a core value of the Bawdy Storytelling project.
• June is acknowledged as LGBTQIA Pride Month, and the inclusion of Troye Sivan’s “Heaven” further highlights the episode’s themes of queer identity and religious struggle.
  • “How do I get to heaven without changing a part of me?” – Lyrics from Troye Sivan’s “Heaven” ([23:23])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sister Penny Costal:

  • “You know what the difference between naked and naked is? Naked is when you're naked, and naked is when you're up to no good.” ([19:10])
  • “The God that I believed in didn't have a problem with homosexuality as long as you were loving and good to people and did all the right things… I have never felt guilty since.” ([21:55])
  • “So I guess I'm off to hell. And I even wore loafers in case the devil makes me walk a long way.” ([22:20])

• Dixie De La Tour:

  • “When you open your mouth, stuff happens. So I just opened my mouth a lot.” ([08:28])
  • “I want to help you find your community and feel like you can do anything.” ([07:05])

Key Timestamps

• [01:40] – Dixie’s intro, accolades, and community philosophy
• [09:03] – Song interlude (“Even with tears in your eyes, don’t you worry…")
• [10:00–12:13] – Dixie introduces Sister Penny, their connection, and Penny's background
• [12:13–23:23] – “Communion” story by Sister Penny Costal
• [23:23–27:32] – Troye Sivan’s “Heaven” (music break)
• [27:32+] – Dixie’s post-story announcements, Pride Month acknowledgment, and live show info

Tone & Style

The episode is emotionally rich, blending humor, nostalgia, outrage, and tenderness. Both Dixie and Sister Penny use evocative Southern storytelling language, peppered with affectionate ribbing, biting social critique, and joyous expressions of queer identity and sexual liberation.

In Summary

Episode 77 of Bawdy Storytelling is a celebration of queerness, defiance, and intimacy set against the backdrop of Southern religiosity and family tradition. Sister Penny Costal’s “Communion” story is a courageous, funny, and deeply personal tale that subverts religious shame with acts of love and joy—reminding listeners that self-acceptance and community can be powerful acts of resistance.