According to the reports, it is some of this cash that disappeared. But festival officials told the Washington Blade that the actual number of donors was about half that, about 73,000. Dianne Hardy-Garcia, the Texas gay rights lobbyist who served as executive director for the march, did not respond to repeated telephone calls requesting comment. Jose Ucles, a former Millennium March board member who became executive director of Millennium Productions, said his organization was victimized along with the vendors. Our hope is that the authorities will be able to get to the bottom of this and be able to recover the stolen amount.
Critics say the reported theft is only one of many financial mysteries associated with the march.
They want to know the salaries of the paid march staff. Its corporate sponsors include America Online Inc., the Showtime cable network and United Airlines. They said the march had no grassroots support and that the movement should focus on local and state elections. Articles have appeared in the Washington Blade, Dallas Voice and Philadelphia Gay News. The Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle also reported on the case.