Rand Schrader (May 11, 1945 – June 13, 1993) was an American AIDS and gay rights activist who also served as a judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court.
Early life and education Schrader was born in Los Angeles, California.Obituaries: Rand Schrader, Judge And Gay Advocate, 48, The New York Times (June 15, 1993). He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and then from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1973.Tracy Wilkinson, Municipal Court Judge Faces Challenge of AIDS - Disease , The Los Angeles Times (November 25, 1991).
Professional career and judicial service After graduating from law school, Schrader was hired by Los Angeles City Attorney Burt Pines. He was the first openly gay staffer to work in the Los Angeles City Attorney's office.
In 1980, Schrader was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court by Governor Jerry Brown. Schrader was recommended to Brown by gay rights activist Sheldon Andelson. Schrader served on the bench until April 1993.
AIDS-related advocacy and death Los Angeles County Supervisor Ed Edelman appointed Schrader to the Los Angeles County AIDS Commission when it was established in 1987. Schrader served as chairman of the commission from 1989 to 1991.
In 1991, Schrader announced that he had been recently diagnosed with AIDS. He disclosed that he had tested positive for HIV in 1989 and had developed pneumocystis pneumonia in October 1991. Schrader went public with his diagnosis in an attempt increase AIDS awareness and to combat discrimination and misinformation associated with AIDS.
Schrader died from AIDS-related complications on June 13, 1993, in Century City, California.
Shortly before his death, in May 1993, the 5P21 HIV/AIDS clinic at Los Angeles County – USC Medical Center was named in honor of him.Los Angeles Clinic Named for AIDS Activist Rand Schrader, The Los Angeles Times (May 15, 1993). Schrader had previously advocated for the establishment of the clinic.
Personal Schrader's long-time partner was entrepreneur David Bohnett, who after Schrader's death used his own entire life savings and the $386,000 benefits from Schrader's life insurance to create the pioneering website GeoCities.Michael Kearns, Out on the Web , LA Weekly (November 24, 1999). At the time of Schrader's death, they had been partnered for 10 years.
See also List of LGBT jurists in the United States
References
External links "David Bohnett and Rand Schrader: The Love Story That Defied AIDS and Homophobia". Frontiers (2015) Obituary in the Los Angeles Times