The Inquirer has showered a lot of love on the LGBT political power, Liberty City, lately. The group has been front and center in the First District Senate fight (endorsing Farnese), as well as with a targeted effort to get a reticent Bill Keller to sign on to an anti-discrimination bill in the House.

The latest is an article today that talks about Chelsea Clinton going where not many women (and certainly, not many daughters of a President and a Presidential candidate) have gone before... Woody's.

We love your highlights!" a man yelled from the crowd, referring to Chelsea's tresses. "Wow," she said, temporarily bumped off message, "that's something I never heard before."

At the end of an exhausting day of nonstop events, Chelsea was supposed to leave after 10 minutes. She ended up staying 25.

A few years ago, such a scene would have been unthinkable. But with an eye on the April 22 Pennsylvania Democratic primary, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are fervently courting the gay vote.

In Philadelphia, gays constitute an estimated 5 percent of voters, according to Malcolm Lazin, president of Equality Forum. That is not an inconsequential percentage in a race as tight as this one.

All cutsieness aside, from an outsiders perspective, it seems clear why Liberty City is such a powerhouse: They are organized, they vote, they are vocal and they take action. It is identity politics at its best.

It says a lot about Philadelphia politics and the effectiveness of Liberty City (and maybe something about a simple effect of how districts were drawn) that even State candidates who are normally fairly conservative socially, have been moved to pretty good LGBT-rights positions.

And within City government, we can see the change embodied by a former mayor and his successor. In 1993, Mike Nutter and John Street helped kill a domestic partnership bill. Within a few years, Nutter helped pass a bill over Street's objections. And by the time Street was done as Mayor, he too had 'seen the light.'

It is really cool to see, and it is not going away. Well-organized groups of people who vote, volunteer, donate money, knock on doors and make phone calls will continue to wield power.

Now, if they would only get rid of that Ray Murphy dude...