The SanDie Awards, a community event that showcases the talent and recognizes members of the San Diego GLBT community, scheduled for Dec. 1, has been cancelled. This year’s SanDies would have raised money for the Hillcrest Youth Center by way of a silent auction.

The SanDie Awards, originally begun in 1973, were suspended during the early years of the HIV and AIDS crisis when the production of the awards show took a back seat to the need to deal with the deadly disease, and were not brought back until 2002.

The Nicky Awards, started in 1974 by Gay and Lesbian Times columnist and activist Nicole Murray-Ramirez and the Imperial Court de San Diego, are a major fundraiser for the Imperial Court de San Diego.

When All Worlds Video owner and SanDies organizer Rick Ford considered reviving the SanDie Awards in 2002, he first spoke with Murray-Ramirez.

“When Rick wanted to do the awards I was very hesitant,” said Murray-Ramirez, “but he kept wanting to do the awards and finally after him asking me and saying he wanted to do these I said I could see them happening if they were totally different.”

According to Murray-Ramirez there was a verbal agreement between himself and Ford that the voting for the Sandies would be conducted differently than the Nicky Awards, the nomination process would be done differently, and the SanDies would not copy the Nicky Awards categories. However, there is some overlap in the categories, including a number of categories related to outstanding bars and bar staff.

Murray-Ramirez said that Ford betrayed their verbal agreement at a professional level; when the SanDies categories were announced this year, there were new additions that broke their original agreement. According to Murray-Ramirez, he approached Ford about it. “When I talked to him he acknowledged that that was our original agreement,” said Murray-Ramirez “I am dealing with this as the Chairman of the Imperial Court which owns the Nicky Awards,” Murray-Ramirez added. “The agreement, though it was verbal between he and I, it was an agreement between two people who have been friends for 30 years. I respect Rick Ford highly; I did not have a problem with the SanDie awards last year. I did have a problem this year of them breaking their agreement and him not living up to his word. That is all it was.”

According to Ford and Gay and Lesbian Times columnist Coco LaChine — who was to host this year’s SanDies — a prominent member of the GLBT community, whom they would not name, placed pressure on a number of participants not to take part in this year’s SanDies.

“There certainly were pressures, there certainly were unkind and hurtful words from people who just do not want to see us around,” LaChine said. “We were told this town was too small for it.”

“It’s basically something to do with the aggravation of trying to compete,” Ford said. “But there was pressure put on.… I could play the tapes.”

According to Ford and LaChine, after the pressure was applied, a lot of the people who were volunteering decided that they wanted to remain anonymous contributors — they did not want to be recognized as participating in the awards. Ford and LaChine would not disclose the details of the incidents of harassment.

“I’m just really devastated that this is not going to happen because I think that it’s very good for our community,” said Fernando Lara, a former Imperial Court member and All Worlds Video employee, who is now manager of Ono Sushi. “I think it brings competitiveness to the businesses, which keeps us abreast of what others are doing and keeps us on the cutting edge of our craft. But the fact that nobody is willing to stand up, you know — yeah, I can tell you these things and if you print them and use my name, then what will happen here is I will probably be in big trouble.”

The official statement on the SanDies website reads: “After a hiatus, the SanDies made a triumphant return in 2002.… However, the return of this awards event was not without problems. Every step along the way, the success of the SanDies was hampered by individuals who would rather not have us around.… This year, as preparations for the 2003 SanDies were underway, the producers were again met with extreme hostility and resentment. ‘We thought we had hurdled the worst last year, but that was probably naïve on our part,’ remarked Mr. Ford. ‘This year, the roller coaster ride has begun all over again. Therefore, it is my decision to cancel the event rather than have anyone associated with the SanDies be subjected to any more intimidations and harassments. In the end, the well-being and peace-of-mind of all involved are more important.’”

Murray-Ramirez denies any involvement in the alleged harassment. “That’s absolutely false,” he said. “I would like any person who has said I put pressure on them to cancel these awards to come forward and say that.… When Rick Ford approached me about doing the SanDie Awards I was very hesitant and should have stuck to my guns. I thought there was one awards show, it seemed to cover it and it was doing fine.”

According to coordinators, the SanDies will most likely be back next year, and there is a possibility that this year’s awards will be recast in a few months.