Ray Hill
Sixty-seven year old native Houstonian.
Graduated from Galena Park Public Schools; attended Stephen F. Austin State University, University of Houston, Tulane University, 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 Promethean Society (Houston's first gay/lesbian organization (1967-1979)
Cofounder (1968), former Board Member and former General Manager (1980-1981) of Pacifica Radio, KPFT-FM
Cofounder, Executive Director - Houston Human Rights League (1976-1986)
Cofounder (1975), Past President (1989) of Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus
Winner of landmark First Amendment US Supreme Court Case Houston v Hill 107 S.Ct 2502, 1987
Cofounder/organizer Montrose Activity Center
Chair of Executive and Coordinating Committees for the First March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights, 1979
Founder, Original Producer and Host (1975-1980) of Wilde N Stein (one of the first regularly scheduled gay/lesbian radio shows in the country and the only one in the South in the 1970's)
Cofounder - Kaposi's Sarcoma Committee (1980, became KS/AIDS Foundation, is now AIDS Foundation Houston)
Convict - (1970- 1975) Texas Prison System
Founder and Executive Director of First Amendment Lobby of Texas (1982 - 1997)
Author of first "Safe Sex Pamphlet" in the country to help prevent the spread of HIV, published by 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/Host of The Prison Show (the only show of its kind in the US) 1980 - present
Former Board Member of Texas C.U.R.E. (Prison reform group) 1986 - 1989
Former member of Houston AIDS Prevention Community Planning Group representing incarcerated populations
Winner of four Federal suits against the City of Houston for police abuses including the previously mentioned Supreme Court decision; a challenge to a city ordinance "blocking the sidewalk" (the ordinance was removed as a result of the case); and two cases challenging the city ordinance criminalizing the interruption of a police officer (the first case resulted in the rewriting of the ordinance and the second, the Supreme Court decision, eliminated both the ordinance and the state law)
Awarded 1999 First Amendment Award by the Houston Trial Lawyers Foundation; The 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award from The Unity Committee (several organizations supporting equality for transgendered people); The 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award from The Stonewall Lawyers Association; Lifetime Achievement Award from ACLU, Texas 2005; Human Right Activist Award from the Houston Peace and Justice Center, 2006; Brenda Thomas Trailblazer Award, SCALE 2006.
The John P. McGovern Award for Public Health Education/Activism, University of Texas School of Public Health 2008
Writer/Performer of Ray Hill, The Prison Years (Best One Character Show 1997, The Houston Press)
Writer/Performer of Ray Hill & The Sex Police
Writer/Performer of Outlaw, Queer Like Ray Hill
Writer/Performer of A Stroll Through Houston Gay History with RayHill
Ray Hill, The Prison Years was reworked and presented at The Philly Fringe in 2005 receiving critical acclaim.
Ray has had seven wonderful men in his life; a famous drag queen: Tiffany Jones (Kenneth Whitehead); a famous hair dresser: Bob Oliphant; a would-be cop: Fred Paez; a country boy from Lufkin: Dale Sweat; a Lutheran Minister: The Rev. Kent Naasz; and 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.