San Diego Pride grapples with leadership "crisis" ahead of annual festival
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Participants walk through the streets of Hillcrest during the 2024 Pride parade. Photo: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
San Diego Pride is facing public criticism over a lack of leadership, stability and community trust ahead of next month's annual parade and festival.
Why it matters: LGBTQ+ community members say a "profound crisis" has been brewing for years within the prominent nonprofit organization, at a time when queer and trans rights are under attack.
Driving the news: Current and former volunteers, staff and board members sent a letter to the Pride board in early June outlining "systemic dysfunction" at "a hollowed-out organization" with depleted staff and reduced programming and advocacy.
- They made that letter public last week, asking the board to share its goals and the hiring process for the next executive director.
- It also calls for an audit of "organizational culture, decision-making, and staff attrition."
Zoom in: Unstable leadership is at the core of the group's concerns. San Diego Pride has had five executive or interim directors in less than two years and the letter alleges the nonprofit has reduced its full-time staff from more than 30 to less than 10 people.
- Interim executive director Kristin Flickinger took over after Leanne Marchese stepped down in May, which the group says was done "without transparency or community engagement."
- The letter also notes community-based programs like She Fest have cut ties with the organization recently due to "misalignment" with leadership.
The other side: The Pride board of directors' written response to the group last week broadly acknowledged concerns about the organization.
- It says they've hired an HR investigator, an operations consultant, a strategic planning firm and Flickinger, "who focuses on organizational transition and cultural alignment."
Between the lines: The letter comes as elected officials and major sponsors are pulling out of the Pride festival and parade.
- Several Jewish groups are among those boycotting because of headliner Kehlani's stances on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
- The Pride Military Department recently dropped out in part because of the organization's "silence" on national LGTBQ+ issues.
What they're saying: "We are examining the broader pattern of behavior over time," former senior director of programs Mark Maddox told Axios.
- "We're invested in the health, sustainability and future of the organization, so let's do it together."
What's next: The board said in a statement to Axios it is working to address organizational issues longterm, but staff's top priority right now is "putting on a successful festival," which kicks off July 16.