on june 24, 1970, with his partner tom doerr and three others, he was arrested at a gaa sit-in at the republican state committee; they became known as the rockefeller five. in 1986 he left glaad and founded the lavender hill mob because he felt existing pressure groups were not sufficiently radical to effect policy change required by the aids crisis. he is credited with developing political "zaps", chaotic and theatrical interventions intended to attract the attention of the press.