At risk of stating the obvious, we didn’t have the internet back in the 80s. Instead, we relied on a diverse range of LGBT media – some of which was more accessible than others – to counter the everyday homophobia of the mainstream media.

I have previously written about the role of local publications in the UK: print media was a key source of information for LGBT people in the UK. But some American and Australian cities also had queer radio programmes.

Sydney, for example, had Gaywaves, which ran from 1979 to 2005 on 2SER-FM 107.5. Samples of its broadcasts can be heard here. Established at a time when male homosexuality was still illegal in New South Wales, it’s content was, almost inevitably, bound to draw criticism. Thus, in November 1982, the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal declared a programme on lesbian sexuality to be obscene – after receiving two complaints!

In Southern California, station KPFK-FM launched The Great Gay Radio Conspiracy in 1974. In 1981 David Hunt (pictured below) joined their one-hour news and entertainment programme ‘IMRU’ as their news editor.

David writes his own LGBT blog and also contributes material to Gay in the 80s too. In my view, reading about people’s personal experiences is absolutely crucial in getting a full understanding of the dynamics of any historical period.(In case that’s not already patently obvious from my own postings here!)

I particularly like David’s posts because they often include audio footage; something which I think really helps to establish the atmosphere of thise days. His post Radio Days includes audio footage of a 1983 panel discussion on the value of queer radio. As the AIDS crisis continued to unfold, that value only grew as people sought accurate information about the disease in the face of media hysteria and government intransigence.

David Hunt – back in the 80s and here in the 21st century.