S1E2: Lisa Power
Pride, Policy and Persistence
Pioneering LGBTQ+ activist, policy expert, co-founder of Stonewall, and former Secretary-General of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA)
Lisa Power joins us to chart a raw, funny, and fiercely practical road through UK LGBTQ+ history—from Switchboard’s midnight calls to the birth of Stonewall, from Section 28’s chilling effect to the sudden light of Vancouver 1996 when HIV combination therapy changed everything.
We dig into the messy reality of coalition building: why Stonewall chose equality as the shared baseline, how the age of consent fight was won in stages, and what it took to navigate the frictions between feminism, the left, and queer communities. Lisa brings history to life: the cramped Switchboard office with maps and files; early THT meetings; treatment-activist showdowns where community experts out-briefed pharma reps.
Lisa's call is simple and sharp: stop fighting each other, fight the right enemy, and keep pushing the window of acceptance forward.
If this story moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Tell us what moment or tactic you’d pass on to the next generation.
Lisa's book, No Bath But Plenty of Bubbles: An Oral History of the Gay Liberation Front, 1970-1973, is hard to find but worth a read
This episode was hosted by Jonathan Chambers and James Alexander
Editing by Hannah Stewart
Music: Mystify created by AlterEgo