Ray Hill

1940-2018

Before Houston, TX, native Ray Hill became a galvanizing gay activist, he had been a Baptist evangelist and a convicted burglar who served four years in prison. Not a typo.

Mr. Hill, who died November 24,  was a larger-than-life character who said, "I was born to rub the cat hair the wrong direction." He described his occupation as a "journeyman-quality hell raiser, and on his business cards the words "Citizen Provocateur" were printed under his name. He partnered with San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk to organize the 1979 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. 80,000 activists showed up. But the second national march he helped organize drew more than 200,000 people in 1987, the largest gay rights demonstration in history.

A renowned radio broadcaster, he co-founded KPTF-FM in Houston, where he started a program on LGBTG issues. In 1980 Texas prisoners could not call home to speak to immediate family or close relatives. Although Hill lobbied for a 2007 state law allowing such, his prior efforts resulted in radio's "The Prison Show" with a call-in segment that allowed families to update inmates with greetings, family details and news of births and deaths and such trivialities as children's soccer game scores.

He bullied Anita Bryant in 1977 but campaigned for several female politicians, most notably Annise Parker, who became Houston's first gay mayor in 2010. But that's not all. When his sister died in an automobile accident in 1977, Mr. Hill raised her two children. In fact, his entire life became a legacy of service to others. 

After losing his left leg and right foot to diabetes, he resided at Omega House in Houston, a hospice center he helped establish in the 1980s. He had been hospitalized earlier this year with heart problems. His funeral was held yesterday on the steps of Houston's City Hall, where Mayor Sylvester Turner delivered a statement that called Mr. Hill a warrior in the fight for gay rights, human rights and criminal justice reforms.

Jared Max

Sports radio anchor Jared Max hosts Maxed Out in the Morning, an ESPN morning radio show that originates in the New York City metropolitan area. Last year his show for ESPN New York 97.5 ranked first in New York among men ages 25 to 54 in his time slot, the first time ever for the station. More amazingly, this rating came about after Jared announced his homosexuality on the air a year earlier, during his live broadcast on May 19, 2011. At 5:50 a.m. he said, “Are we ready to have our sports information delivered by someone who is gay? We're going to find out. For the last 16 years, I’ve been living a free life among my close friends and family, and I’ve hidden behind what is a gargantuan-sized secret here in the sports world. I am gay.”

Reactions from fans and sports professionals were overwhelmingly positive, but the memory that stood out is the way his board operator sauntered in and said, “Hey, my old man called – he said congratulations.” For Max, that was everything. “I got the impression that his dad was old-school, so it really meant a lot to hear that,” Jared said. It was quite a week for gays in sports. Within a few days of each other former Villanova basketball player Will Sheridan, Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts and CNN's Don Lemon also came out that week.

Thirty-nine year old Jared, who has been single since November, 2010, made the current Out magazine’s list of 100 Most Eligible Bachelors. He lives in New Jersey, just a few miles from where he grew up in a Jewish household. He came out to his mother when he was 21 years old.

For as long as he can remember, Jared says he knew he wanted to be a sports reporter. As a kid, he would play football alone in his backyard while announcing the plays to an imaginary audience. In high school, he recorded 60-second score reports on his answering machine. Every morning he’d go running out of the house in his underwear to fetch USA Today, read the sports scores and then record the day’s message. He handed out business cards to his classmates announcing “The only answering machine that gives you the latest sports news and reviews.”  It turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy when a real sports phone line caught wind of it and hired him, and Jared Max has been working in the field of sports broadcasting ever since.

Dan Kloeffler

Following on the heels of Zachary Quinto's footsteps, ABC News anchor Dan Kloeffler (b. 1976) came out of the closet professionally – while on the air reporting the Quinto coming out story in October, 2011. Kloeffler off-handedly stated that he would ignore his ban on dating actors to date Mr. Quinto. “The response has been one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve ever had,” Kloeffler said. “ABC has been incredibly supportive, and I am blown away by all the people saying how courageous it was. I’m lucky in that I’ve been out to my family and friends since my sophomore year in college, and much like when I came out to them, my fears were unfounded.”

Later, the 35-year-old newsman wrote, "...for the same reason that Zach decided to come out, I too, no longer want to hide this part of my life. There have been too many tragic endings and too many cases of bullying because of intolerance...as a journalist, I don't want to be the story, but as a gay man I don't want to stand silent if I can offer some inspiration or encouragement to kids who might be struggling with who they are."

From Kloeffler’s blog post later that day:

“So why’d I do it? To fulfill a promise I made to myself a few years back. Like a lot of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, I knew pretty early that I was “different” from everybody else. In grade school, I was an easy target for teasing: a little chunky, glasses, and painfully awkward at sports. So to avoid being someone’s prey, I usually ate by myself, hid in the bathroom or stayed in the safety of the classroom during lunch and recess.

To be clear, I had a tremendously supportive family. And when their words of encouragement didn’t work, Mom usually stuffed a candy bar in my hand to help me forget about being a little out of place. I learned “comfort food” at an early age. Throughout high school, I hid from reality, dating girls and knocking down rumors that I was gay. Despite struggling to hide a part of me, high school was a lot of fun. I built solid friendships, gained some confidence and even worked my way into the “cool” cliques.

It wasn’t until college that I’d finally had enough of the battle. I was ready to wave the white/rainbow flag and declare my sexuality to the world. The support and love was overwhelming, and it’s grown stronger ever since, which is why it’s time to finally make good on the vow I made years ago. As I was growing up, I swore that if I ever enjoyed any kind of visibility or success, I was going to somehow help break down the walls of hate that hold others captive. I was fortunate to be surrounded by loving family and friends, but as we too often hear, not everyone is so lucky.

I’m looking forward to working with Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the “It Gets Better” project. Some might say I’m a little late to the party, so I’ve got to make up for lost time. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of work to be done to show kids it’s what inside their hearts that really counts. I might not be Oprah, but if I can help just one person, I’ll have kept my word.”

Since 2010, Kloeffler has been an anchor of ABC World News Now, a cable-news channel of the ABC broadcasting network. A digital correspondent for ABC News based in New York, Kloeffler reports for ABCNews.com, ABC News Now and “Good Morning America Weekend.” In addition to on-air reporting, he also blogs for ABCNews.com. Prior to his job at ABC, Kloeffler worked for MSNBC and NBC news shows. Since Kloeffler’s coming out, his fellow World News Now alum Anderson Cooper has also come out publicly.

Kloeffler, who grew up in Michigan, had came out to his family and friends while a student at the University of New Hampshire (Durham) in 1997.

Here’s the 2011 broadcast that caused all the commotion:

Anderson Cooper's Firehouse Fantasy

Anderson Cooper (b. 1967) is the grandson of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and son of Gloria Vanderbilt, earning him status as a true blue-blood. While there is scarcely a soul alive who does not know that he is gay, he does not talk about such personal details*. He lets Kathy Griffin tease him about it, even while on the air, and he is seen all over NYC riding bikes with his male partner. He has not denied being gay, but he will not discuss his private life publicly.

*UPDATE. Cooper came out publicly July 1, 2012, in a casual, off-handed way by commenting on his sexual orientation in response to a friend's blog post. He now speaks openly about his sexual orientation.

His recent real estate project, however, can lead us to speculate that the silver fox might indulge in a fireman fantasy or two. Cooper purchased the historic Fire Patrol House No. 2, at 84 West Third Street (between Sullivan & Thompson in NYC's Greenwich Village) and then restored it for use as his personal residence. Removal of many coats of exterior paint revealed the original handsome brick, terra cotta and limestone architectural details. The garish red and white paint job on the face of the ground floor was replaced by a more somber black with original limestone accents. The man has taste, and apparently bucketloads of money.

But this was a Fire Patrol House, not a NYC fire department station. In the early 19th century, insurance companies hired citizens to walk about at night to watch out for fires, an idea first proposed by Benjamin Franklin. These Fire Patrol people would spot and extinguish fires, saving insurance underwriters significant payouts. Their fire wagons would deliver heavy tarps to cover broken windows and protect furniture and delicate equipment in order to minimize water damage from fire fighter’s efforts. Among the patrolmen’s duties were water removal and salvage work after a fire had been put out, providing the insurers with an on-site link to the extent of fire damage. Modern inventions such as telephones and electric streetlights made the Fire Patrol largely obsolete, but the tradition prevailed in some cities, with NYC being the last holdout. The city’s fire patrol was not disbanded until 2006.

Anderson Cooper moved into his fire house in January 2012, sharing the deluxe restored quarters with his partner, gay bar owner Benjamin Maisani* (above). Cooper's work crew removed the paint from the brick and stone detailing (above right), including the head of Mercury, which represents the speed at which the fire patrolmen respond to fires.

*UPDATE: In March 2018 Cooper (50 at the time) stated that he and Maisani "had separated as boyfriends some time ago", and that Cooper was seeing a 33-year-old doctor based in Dallas TX. 

Built in 1906, Fire Patrol Station Number 2 had never been updated. When Cooper bought it, the structure still had the original wood flooring, windows, spiral staircase, fire poles and hand-sawn ceiling beams. Even the stables that once housed the patroller’s horses remained intact at the rear of the building.

That was the good news. Over time the fire patrolmen had exercised much-misplaced taste in "improving" the look of their home. The stone sculpture of Mercury above the double entry doors had been painted in flesh-colored enamel with bright yellow hair. The limestone at street level had been painted glossy white with bright "fire engine red" enamel covering the ground floor brickwork. The upper stories' brick, tile and stone façade had been painted over in a dull red. Mr. Cooper had his work cut out for him.

Until 1906 Fire Patrol Number 2 had operated at 31 Great Jones Street in Greenwich Village, but a boarding house at 84 West 3rd Street, one block south of Washington Square Park, was purchased and razed for the construction of a new red brick four-story patrol house.

The façade was embellished by limestone quoins with terra cotta accents, and a carved head of Mercury above the truck entrance signified the speed of the responders. When the fire patrollers moved into their new home in 1907, an elevated railroad covered 3rd Street directly in front of the building (see vintage photo).

During their hundred years at West Third Street, the men engaged in many acts of heroism, but a recent event brought renewed interest in the Fire Patrol system, which in modern times was involved mostly with salvage work at commercial fire sites. Among the emergency responders to the World Trade Center disaster on the morning of September 11, 2001, was 27-year-old fire patrolman Keith Roma. A member of Fire Patrol Number 2, he had worked for over an hour evacuating World Trade Center employees – eyewitnesses estimate that he personally removed more than 200 individuals. Roma himself, however, was never seen again after that day. On Christmas Eve, 2001, his body, with fire helmet at his side, was discovered alongside those of nine civilians he was trying to save. He was the first fire patrolman to die in the line of duty in more than three decades. A plaque outside Fire Patrol Number 2's building honors his sacrifice. Throughout their history, 32 patrolmen had died in the line of duty.

When NYC’s Fire Patrol was disbanded in 2006, the New York Board of Fire Underwriters offered the building for sale. The Greenwich Village Historic Society panicked, quickly requesting landmark status from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Their fears were for naught, because Anderson Cooper hired architect Cary Tamarkin to preserve and renovate the fire patrol house into a private residence.

“We could not be happier with the gorgeous exterior renovation that highlights and respects the unique history of the building,” the Society said in its blog on September 1, 2011. Tamarkin restored the stone and terra cotta detailing, removed the layers of paint and replaced the windows with replicas. The architect retained interior details such as the herringbone brick floor, brass fire poles and cast iron spiral staircase. When Cooper moved in earlier this year, among the original features he retained was the old firemen’s gym, which he outfitted with old-fashioned bar bells and weights. It is a praiseworthy example of the reuse of vintage structures and a fitting testament to the history of the New York Fire Patrol, which had operated in the city from 1839 until 8:00 a.m. on October 15, 2006.

Dan Kloeffler (ABC News)

Inspired by recently-out actor Zachary Quinto (pronounced KEEN-toh), who revealed he was gay in the pages of New York magazine, Dan Kloeffler of ABC World News Now came out on the air two weeks ago while giving a report about Quinto’s disclosure. Kloeffler did it in the form of admitting a crush on the actor:

“Look, he’s 34, I’m 35, I’m thinking I could lose my distraction about dating actors for that one, maybe.”



Kloeffler also wrote a post on the ABC News blog after the show clarifying why he'd decided to do it:

“Kind of a big moment for me while filling in on World News Now, which is by far the most fun you can legally have at 3:00 in the morning! Yunji de Nies and I were talking about celebrity headlines, when I read the story about Zachary Quinto, who played Spock in “Star Trek,” coming out as gay in a magazine interview. Because WNN is a show where you can offer some personality, I had a little fun with the story saying that I would drop my rule against dating actors.

I’ve never shared that I’m gay on-air, even though I’ve been out to my family, friends and co-workers for years. In fact, an old boyfriend – now best friend – has always given me a hard time about not doing so. But for the same reason that Zach decided to come out, I too, no longer wanted to hide this part of my life.

There have been too many tragic endings and too many cases of bullying because of intolerance. As a kid I wanted someone to look up to, someone that could relate to the feelings I was having. Most of all, I wanted to know that it would get better.

And it did.

As a journalist, I don’t want to be the story, but as a gay man I don’t want to stand silent if I can offer some inspiration or encouragement to kids that might be struggling with who they are.”

Anderson Cooper

Cooper Makes Joke about His Being Gay

After taking his boyfriend to a very public Hollywood Oscar party last year, Anderson Cooper poked fun of his own gayness while co-hosting Live with Regis and Kelly. As he often does, Cooper stepped in to fill Regis Philbin’s seat on the morning TV show. Kelly Ripa and Cooper were doing a segment where the CNN anchor was answering questions from viewers, and Kelly produced a yearbook picture of Anderson that clearly embarrassed him. She folded the picture up and put it down her shirt saying, "You'll never get this back."

Anderson's outrageous retort was, “Sweetie, that's the last place I'd look,” while giving the viewers some serious gay face while making the crack.

Anderson Cooper with steady companion and club owner Benjamin Maisani tooling around Manhattan.

Gratuitous photo of Ripa and her dreamy house husband Mark Consuelos.


On a trip to St. Lucia to celebrate my birthday, I spotted Kelly and Mark on the beach at the resort where I was staying. Imagine my delight to learn that they were on the same plane returning to the States at the end of my vacation. They checked in (with their kids) right in front of me. Consuelos was unexpectedly short in stature, but those teeth, that smile, that face! Oh well, I could at least boast that I swam in his water.

Trivia: He speaks Italian, not Spanish.