Seventy-one year old native Houstonian.
Graduated from Galena Park Public Schools and attended Stephen F. Austin State University, The University of Houston, and Tulane University in New Orleans. No degrees.
Came out as a gay man to his family and at Galena Park High School in 1958.
Cofounder and President of The Promethean Society, the first gay/lesbian organization in Houston, Texas (1967-1979).
Cofounder (1968), former Board Member and former General Manager (1980-1981) of Pacifica Radio, KPFT FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas.
Cofounder and Executive Director of The Houston Human Rights League (1976-1986).
Cofounder (1975) and Past President (1989) of The Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus.
Winner of the landmark First Amendment US Supreme Court Case Houston v Hill 107 S.Ct 2502, 1987.
Cofounder and organizer of The Montrose Activity Center.
Chair of the Executive and Coordinating Committees for the First March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights, 1979.
Founder, the original Producer and Host (1975-1980) of Wilde N Stein, one of the first regularly scheduled gay/lesbian radio shows in the U.S. and the only one in the South in the 1970's.
Cofounder of The Kaposi's Sarcoma Committee (1980) which later became The KS/AIDS Foundation and is now The AIDS Foundation Houston.
Convict (1970- 1975) in The Texas Prison System.
Founder and Executive Director of The First Amendment Lobby of Texas (1982 - 1997).
Author of the first "Safe Sex Pamphlet" in the country aimed at preventing the spread of HIV, published by The Citizens for Human Equality CHE, Houston (1982).
Contributor to the first three International Conferences on Gender Law and Employment.
Author of Model Transgender Policy for Jails and Prisons.
Founder, Producer and Host of The Prison Show, the only show of its kind in the U.S. (1980 - present).
Former Board Member of Texas C.U.R.E. - a prison reform group (1986-1989).
Former Member of The Houston AIDS Prevention Community Planning Group, representing incarcerated populations.
Winner of four U.S. Federal suits against the City of Houston for police abuse, including the previously mentioned decision of The U.S. Supreme Court.
These suits challenged a city ordinance against "blocking the sidewalk" and another city ordinance which criminalized the interruption of a police officer.
They resulted in the removal of the city ordinance against "blocking the sidewalk" and the city ordinance which criminalized the interruption of a police officer at first had to be rewritten by the City of Houston. Then the decision of The Supreme Court of The U.S.A. resulted in the elimination of both the city ordinance and a similar Texas state law.
Awarded:
The 1999 First Amendment Award from the Houston Trial Lawyers Foundation
The 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award from The Unity Committee (A group of organizations supporting equality for transgendered people)
The 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award from The Stonewall Lawyers Association
The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston, Texas ACLU - 2005
The Human Rights Activist Award from the Houston Peace and Justice Center - 2006
The Brenda Thomas Trailblazer Award, SCALE - 2006
The John P. McGovern Award for Public Health Education and Activism from The University of Texas School of Public Health - 2008
Writer and Performer of:
Ray Hill, The Prison Years (Best One Character Show 1997, The Houston Press).
Ray Hill & The Sex Police.
Outlaw, Queer Like Ray Hill.
A Stroll Through Houston Gay History with Ray Hill.
Ray Hill, The Prison Years was reworked and presented at The Philly Fringe in 2005 receiving critical acclaim.
Was the subject of Citizen Provocateur: Ray Hill's Texas Prison Show, a documentary about his years behind the bars of the Texas prison system and his work on The Prison Show - (2006).
Ray has had seven wonderful men in his life: Tiffany Jones (Kenneth Whitehead) - a famous drag queen, Bob Oliphant - a famous hair dresser, Fred Paez - a would-be cop, Dale Sweat - a country boy from Lufkin, The Rev. Kent Naasz - a Lutheran Minister, Patricio Domingo Bravo - an expatriate from Chile, and Rene Castillo - an outlaw.
Only Patricio survives. Tiffany, Kent, Bob and Rene died of AIDS. Dale was murdered by a burglar. Fred was assassinated by a police officer.
Ray is currently unattached and reasonably available.
