Revisiting The Gay Life

Introducing Revisiting The Gay Life is a new 12-episode series from KALW’s Queer Power Hour. It explores a pivotal moment in SF’s LGBTQ history — from the rise of Harvey Milk to the early days of what would later be called AIDS.We reconsider this time through a perhaps unexpected lens: a radio show called The Gay Life that aired on KSAN, a commercial rock and roll station in the Bay Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Revisiting The Gay Life is produced by KALW Public Media in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society and The Gay Life's longtime host Randy Alfred.

In the premiere episode, we go back to the beginnings of LGBTQ+ radio. And hear how it developed from the 1950s to the 1970s. And we meet the host and producer of The Gay Life, Randy Alfred (pictured above!)Revisiting The Gay Life is a new 12-episode series from KALW’s Queer Power Hour. It explores a pivotal moment in SF’s LGBTQ history — from the rise of Harvey Milk to the early days of what would later be called AIDS.We reconsider this time through a perhaps unexpected lens: a radio show called The Gay Life that aired on KSAN, a commercial rock and roll station in the Bay Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Revisiting The Gay Life is produced by KALW Public Media in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society and The Gay Life's longtime host Randy Alfred.

In this episode of Revisiting The Gay Life, we consider the life and afterlife of Harvey Milk, who was one of the key figures of what was then called the Gay Liberation Movement, as well as the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to public office.Revisiting The Gay Life is a new 12-episode series from KALW’s Queer Power Hour. It explores a pivotal moment in SF’s LGBTQ history — from the rise of Harvey Milk to the early days of what would later be called AIDS.We reconsider this time through a perhaps unexpected lens: a radio show called The Gay Life that aired on KSAN, a commercial rock and roll station in the Bay Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Revisiting The Gay Life is produced by KALW Public Media in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society and The Gay Life's longtime host Randy Alfred.

In this episode of Revisiting The Gay Life, we intertwine the stories of two men that appeared on the Gay Life. On paper, the men are quite similar. Born a year apart — Bob Basker in 1918 and Stuart Loomis in 1919. Both Veterans. Both spent time in Chicago after the war. And both ended up in San Francisco and were early gay activists. But how their stories diverge sheds some light on the difficult choices gay people faced in the midcentury. And how one or two decisions could dramatically alter the trajectory of your life.Revisiting The Gay Life is a new 12-episode series from KALW’s Queer Power Hour. It explores a pivotal moment in SF’s LGBTQ history — from the rise of Harvey Milk to the early days of what would later be called AIDS.We reconsider this time through a perhaps unexpected lens: a radio show called The Gay Life that aired on KSAN, a commercial rock and roll station in the Bay Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Revisiting The Gay Life is produced by KALW Public Media in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society and The Gay Life's longtime host Randy Alfred.

In this episode of Revisiting The Gay Life, we do a deep dive into lesbian history. We share Randy's 1978 conversation with Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin about the first lesbian organizations in San Francisco and he sits down with Marie Renfro in 1980 to hear about that year’s black lesbian conference. And we hear from Randy about the evolving relationship between lesbians and gay men.Revisiting The Gay Life is a new 12-episode series from KALW’s Queer Power Hour. It explores a pivotal moment in SF’s LGBTQ history — from the rise of Harvey Milk to the early days of what would later be called AIDS.We reconsider this time through a perhaps unexpected lens: a radio show called The Gay Life that aired on KSAN, a commercial rock and roll station in the Bay Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Revisiting The Gay Life is produced by KALW Public Media in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society and The Gay Life's longtime host Randy Alfred.