In this episode of Revisiting The Gay Life, we're gonna focus on an inflection point in queer history: when the gay and lesbian rights movement was gaining strength, but also facing some backlash.
As the '70s gave way to the '80s, the deeply religious and conservative moral majority was founded and it helped catapult former Governor Ronald Reagan into the White House. At the same time, in the aftermath of Harvey Milk's murder, gays and lesbians were making serious inroads both in terms of public acceptance and political clout.
Featured in this episode:
- RANDY SHILTS & DAVID ISRAELS: In April of 1980, CBS Reports aired a controversial one-hour news program across the country was called "Gay Power, Gay Politics." But the show seemed less interested in gay power and more interested in gay sex — portraying gay men as sexually depraved and maybe even dangerous. Soon after it aired, Randy Alfred convened a discussion about the program on "The Gay Life," which included Randy Shilts, who reported for KQED and KTVU at the time, and David Israels, who covered city politics and the gay beat for the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
- JUDGE MARY MORGAN: She gained entry to the halls of power as the first out lesbian appointed to a judgeship in the United States. Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to San Francisco Municipal Court in 1981. Randy Alfred sat down with her a few months after she started on the bench.
Revisiting The Gay Life is a new limited 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.
Show Credits:
Executive Producer / Host: David Boyer
Producer / Engineer / Life Saver: David Kwan
