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.
LIVE EVENT: July 15th, 2026
Join us for Out on the Air, a live conversation about the history of LGBTQ radio on July 15th at 7pm at KALW’s community event space at 220 Montgomery Street in downtown San Francisco.
