The Ray Simon Collection documents Simon's involvement in the gay community during the 1980s and 1990s, particularly his involvement with the local response to the AIDS crisis.

One set of photographs shows the October 1988 display of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in Washington, D. C. This was the second time that the quilt was displayed in its entirety, following the first display at the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. St. Louis had an active chapter of the NAMES Project, and a number of St. Louisans attended the display and participated in the event. Pictured are three St. Louis activists, each at a podium separately reading the names of people lost to AIDS (John Hilgeman, Patrick Leonard, and an unidentified man). There are also shots of the crowd viewing the quilt, often with Washington, DC landmarks visible in the background; shots of several representative individual quilt panels; and shots of a "signature panel" with messages left by visitors from St. Louis.

A second set of photographs documents the quilt panel that Ray Simon created in memory of his partner, John Hans, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1995. The panel featured a floral design, celebrating Hans' love of gardening, and a magnified reproduction of Hans' signature. Photos show Simon and Hans' father and mother (Carlan and Ann Hans) posing with the quilt panel, as well as shots showing portions of the NAMES Project quilt, including Hans' panel, displayed at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church on December 1, 1998 (World AIDS Day). Along with the rest of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, the panel memorializing John Hans is now in the care of the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco. Hans' panel is part of the quilt block numbered 5307.

A third set of photographs documents parties held by the Late Knights of Pythias. These photos show some of the creative, and occasionally risque, costumes that characterized these parties.

Two additional photographs show Ray Simon and his partner, John Hans, posing together. Simon is wearing a T-shirt commemorating the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt's 1988 display in St. Louis. Hans, visibly ill, is wearing a shirt with a typical early 1990s era pattern. These photos of the couple must date between 1988 and Hans' death from AIDS-related complications in 1995.

The collection also includes two posters promoting St. Louis observances of Day Without Art. Since 1989, Day Without Art has been held annually on December 1st (World AIDS Day) as an "international day of action and mourning in response to the AIDS crisis," focusing especially on the impact of the disease among artists. It has been observed in St. Louis since its founding year of 1989. One of the posters promotes the 1993 observance of the Day Without Art. It features an illustration by Bob Hansman, a local graphic artist and activist who also designed some of the early publicity materials for St. Louis Effort for AIDS. The other poster promotes the 1994 observance and features three photographs by local photographer John Hilgert. The photographs are dedicated to the memory of John-Paul Wolf, a St. Louis-based painter, printmaker, and art critic who died of AIDS-related complications in 1990.