1997
The Opening Act
Pride experienced a changing of the guard in 1997 as Executive Director Brenda Schumacher stepped down to pursue new challenges and former Festival Coordinator Mandy Schultz stepped up to take the Pride reins. Although some may have worried that Schultz was too young for the job, her enthusiasm and skills learned from Schumacher proved that she was just right for the position. Pride was running smoothly and it seemed that she would be able to step into the position easily.
Little did she know that her first year would be a trial by fire.
The Main Event
The event was originally planned to be a continuation of the growth experienced in previous years. The usual parade, rally and festival were on the agenda and were being overseen by an experienced group of staff and volunteers. As in past years, both local and national celebrities were honored by Pride.
The rally took place once again on Friday evening on Normal Street in front of the Center. Out comedienne and writer Elvira Kurt emceed the evening. Keynote speakers were Kerry Lobel, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Myron Dean Quon, Staff Attorney for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.
The Parade kicked off Saturday at noon and featured U.S. Men’s Figure Skating Champion and out gay Mexican-American, Rudy Galindo, who had recently completed an autobiography. Other contingents included former mayor Maureen O’Connor marching with the Auntie Helen’s contingent, a large contingent from PFLAG and a beautiful float from All Worlds Video.
As a side note, while San Diego Pride was taking place, a small wheeled robot was exploring one of our planetary neighbors. On July 4th, the Mars Pathfinder bounced to a halt on the red planet and released the Sojourner rover. People around the world were captivated by the photographs and information sent back by the tiny robot. Here on earth, a replica was present at the parade with two same-sex doll couples riding on it and a sign stating that gay life had been found on Mars.
The Sideshow
In the weeks leading up to Pride, national and international media swarmed into town. It wasn’t because they were interested in promoting the event itself, but rather to cover the possible return of spree killer Andrew Cunanan. Cunanan was a San Diego native who went on a cross-country killing spree which began with the killing of his friend Jeffrey Trail on April 27th, and ended with the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace on July 15th, ten days before San Diego Pride.
After killing Versace, Cunanan went underground as he had done before while successfully avoiding capture by the FBI during his three-month killing spree. In San Diego, rumors swirled around the community that he might return to San Diego in time for Pride. The possibility of a return was serious enough for a swarm of media and law enforcement to descend on Hillcrest.
For new Executive Director Mandy Schultz, the media frenzy surrounding Pride that year was a baptism by fire that she came through well-tempered. The interest from the media was so severe that Schultz and Sabatini were overwhelmed. Unable to comply with the sheer volume of interview requests, they took to holding frequent mass press conferences. Coordinating with the media and law enforcement was an overwhelming task.
Finally, on Wednesday, July 23rd, only days before Pride was to begin, police in Florida reported that they had found Cunanan’s body in a Miami houseboat. Police had finally received a tip from a nearby neighbor that someone matching his description was living on the boat. Police moved in and found Cunanan dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The Epilogue
In the aftermath of Cunanan’s death, San Diegans breathed a sigh of relief. The killer was not going to return gunning for any old friends and Pride would go on as scheduled. The media scrutiny slowly began to recede and life returned to normal.
Somewhat surprisingly, Pride attendance was way up. Whether it was in spite of, or because of, the media frenzy surrounding the Cunanan story is unclear. Police estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the parade. It was a jump of about 20,000 over the previous year’s numbers.