We sit with Nettie Pollard as she relives the early 1970s Gay Liberation Front, a movement that built a culture of collective courage, mutual care, and playful defiance. From secret ‘zaps’ at the Festival of Light to linking arms outside the Albert Hall, she reveals how the GLF protected one another, challenged the police, and made joy a tactic.

Nettie takes us inside the Counter‑Psychiatry Group working to overcome the label of homosexuality as an “illness” and shares her experiences volunteering for Icebreakers, one of the first LGBTQ+ helplines.

Nettie’s warning is clear: rights can be rolled back when hearts aren’t won. This conversation shows how culture, community, and care can move faster than laws and last longer than headlines.

Since recording this episode, Nettie Pollard sadly died on Christmas Day, 2025

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This episode was hosted by Jonathan Chambers and James Alexander

Editing by Hannah Stewart

Music: Mystify created by AlterEgo

Visit our website, https://tvfh.co.uk

Follow us on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/theviewfromherepodcast

When Lord Chris Smith stood in a crowded hall in Rugby and said, “My name is Chris Smith... and I’m gay,” British politics took a giant leap forward. In this episode, we trace the path from coming out to the Blair-era equality reforms that reshaped life for LGBTQ people in the UK.

Chris discusses tabloid hostility, the response of his constituents, and the small moments that mark a cultural shift. He walks us through some of his defining achievements in government: equalising the age of consent, repealing Section 28, ending bans in the armed forces, securing goods and services equality, and the arrival of civil partnerships. He shows how ordinary people coming out moved public opinion faster than politicians or headlines.

Chris also shares how he chose to reveal his HIV status years later, inspired by a speech from Nelson Mandela.

If this podcast was inspiring, follow us on social media, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Chambers and James Alexander

Editing by Hannah Stewart

Music: Mystify created by AlterEgo

Visit our website, https://tvfh.co.uk

Follow us on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/theviewfromherepodcast

We sit down with Stuart Feather, Paul Shaw, and Lavinia Co‑op to trace the raw and often outrageous path from the Gay Liberation Front’s early meetings at the LSE to the Bloolips’ radical drag that rattled London, conquered Amsterdam, and charmed New York.

We revisit the infamous Festival of Light action at Methodist Central Hall, featuring slow handclaps, boxed mice under pews, can‑canning “nuns,” a balcony banner crowning “Cliff for Queen”, and a drag confession of being “saved” that froze an entire audience.

This is queer theatre as a weapon - light, frothy, and full of tap‑dancing, but carrying the punch that keeps movements alive.

Subscribe, share with a friend and leave a review telling us the boldest act of creative resistance you’ve ever witnessed.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Chambers and James Alexander

Editing by Hannah Stewart

Music: Mystify created by AlterEgo

Visit our website, https://tvfh.co.uk

Follow us on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/theviewfromherepodcast