April 18, 1944 �" January 7, 2014
Seth Lawrence died January 7, 2014 at 2:52 p.m. at Maitri Hospice from a multitude of complications due to AIDS. He died peacefully in the arms of his husband and soul mate of 20 years, Scot Hammond.
Seth was born on April 18, 1944 to parents Nathan Schneider and Rose Berman in Brooklyn. He received his bachelor's and Master of Arts degrees from Brooklyn College in theater arts.
Seth had a flair for adventure. He was a skilled theatrical and operatic director, social worker, teacher, and a well-known gay activist/chairperson for Gay Activist Alliance and Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee in New York in the 1970s. In San Francisco he worked as, among other things: an HIV counselor and facilitator, manager of Global Travel, Now Voyager, and as Shanti's volunteer coordinator. In addition, he and his husband worked with a campaign that rescues greyhounds.
Seth and Hammond became poster children for HIV prevention and same-sex marriage. Seth was awarded a certificate of appreciation in 2006 from then-Mayor Gavin Newsom and then-Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Bevan Dufty recognizing him as an exemplary citizen and key contributor to San Francisco HIV/AIDS efforts.
His sweet, inspirational, fun, and somewhat bad-boy attitude will never be forgotten. His spirit filled with love, his infectious smile, his dancing eyes, and his sexy voice will carry on in many hearts.
A potluck celebration of life will be held Saturday, January 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For questions and the address, contact Hammond at (415) 987-5392.