Tommi Avicolli interviews Tom Chorlton on his political activity as an openly gay man. Chorlton, a political organizer based out of Washington, D.C., first got involved in politics as an openly gay man with the Gertrude Stein Democratic Party endorsing Marion Shepilov Barry’s 1978 mayoral campaign. Chorlton and Mecca go on to discuss political engagement among the gay and lesbian community in Washington, D.C., the lack thereof in Philadelphia, and methods of increasing voter turnout, such as the Gay Vote 1980 project. Chorlton is in Philadelphia to organize a meeting of gay Democratic clubs.
