[1] Born in Darby, Pennsylvania, Thom Nickels grew up in Chester County where he went to Great Valley High School in Malvern.
Nickels was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and did his national alternate service at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston.
In 1998, he co-founded The Arts Defense League and helped to spearhead a citywide movement to keep the Maxfield Parrish mural, "Dream Garden," in Philadelphia.
"[3] In response to Philadelphia's theatre scene and the practice of gender- and race-conscious casting, Nickels writes, "it's repetitive brainwashing minus the art.
"[4] In an article published on HuffPost in 2013, Nickels defends a widely criticized skit in the Philadelphia Mummers Parade in which white participants dressed up in stereotypical Native American costumes, writing, "Welcome once again to our super-hypersensitive world.
"[5] Nickels' article fueled a great deal of anger, especially from Leftist Native American advocacy organizations.
Furthermore, Nickels claimed that "there was no news -- no mention -- of the killing in the daily press or on any of Philadelphia's TV stations," suggesting the man's sexuality to be the reason for the silence.