Mecca, Tommi Avicolli

"Tommi Avicolli Mecca is a longtime southern Italian radical queer activist who helped organize the first gay pride march in Philadelphia in 1972. He was co-founder of Radicalqueens and helped produce its magazine, and a member of Gay Liberation Front/Temple until its demise in 1974. He served as president of Gay Activists Alliance (1975), Associate Editor of New Gay Life magazine (1976-9), and reporter/editor for the Philadelphia Gay News (1981-91). He founded the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Archives (now part of the library at the William Way Center in Philly), and the first multi-racial LGBT theatre troupe, Avalanche (1986-1991). He was also a founder of GALA, the Gay and Lesbian Arts Festival. He was on the board of the first LGBT community center and helped organize its weekly Gay Coffeehouse.

"He is a poet, performer, activist and writer. As a journalist, he has contributed to Philadelphia Magazine, SF Bay Guardian, Bay Times, BAR, Philadelphia Gay News, SF Examiner, Distant Drummer, and others. In 1978 he wrote and produced the first gay play ("Judgement of the Roaches") presented in Philadelphia; in 1986 the libretto for the first dance/spoken word piece on AIDS. He also did a sold-out one-man show at the Walnut Street Theatre's Studio Five which was called "Giving Voice." It dealt with growing up queer in South Philly's Italian/American neighborhood. Altogether he has produced about a dozen theatre works, including "la madonna nera" (black madonna) and "Italian.Queer.Dangerous."

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