HPD Accused of Harassment Against Gay Community (1976)

In July of 1976, several police raids were conducted in a number of local gay businesses- including not only bars but also bookstores. As many as thirty-six people were arrested at the Exile club on charges of public intoxication despite testimonies from those charged stating that they had been members of Alcoholics Anonymous. This was one of the largest operations in recent memory at that time involving a gay business, according to the Montrose Star. In response to these events, Ray Hill, a long-time Houston gay activist from the Metropolitan Community Church, took the issue before Houston’s City Council in a regular meeting held for citizens to speak and be heard on July 21. In a addition to voicing his concern to control police harassment and urgency to protect the gay community in the social and political spectrum, Hill also facilitated a broader platform through the press coverage he received from the meeting. [19]