Kight was born and grew up in Comanche County, Texas. He graduated from Texas Christian University and graduated in 1941 with a degree in personnel administration and public administration. From 1941 until 1958, Kight lived in northern New Mexico, where he and many other gay people were active in Adlai Stevenson's campaign in the 1952 presidential election. The presence of many gay people in Stevenson's campaign led to the spreading of a rumor that Stevenson was gay.