Obituaries: Gary Mitchell Lang

  • by BAR staff
  • Tuesday November 23, 2021
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Gary Mitchell Lang
Gary Mitchell Lang

October 9, 1951 — October 26, 2021

Gary Mitchell Lang, 70, a San Francisco graphic and industrial designer and aficionado of the performing arts, died from renal cancer October 26, 2021.

Long Island-born Lang graduated with a degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute in 1973. He moved to San Francisco in 1973 and opened his own graphic design business focusing on Bay Area performing arts groups. For 40 years he attended almost all seasons of the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, and San Francisco Symphony.

In 1988, during the AIDS crisis he volunteered at Shanti Project where he met Adam Blum, the man who would become his husband. In 2008 they planned a commitment ceremony, which ultimately became a wedding when the timing coincided with the California Supreme Court ruling that it was unconstitutional to deny same-sex marriage.

He was an active board member of the Northern California Wagner Society for 20 years and traveled to Wagner festivals in Germany, Finland, England, and in the U.S.

In 2015, Lang became director of operations of the Gay Therapy Center, the largest private provider of psychotherapy to the LGBTQ+ community. The company was founded by his husband.

In addition to his husband, Lang is survived by three brothers, six nieces, and six nephews.

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