Barney Frank, the first out gay member of Congress, dies at 86

Barney Frank, a pioneering gay politician, died at age 86 after entering hospice care with congestive heart failure. He became the first gay member of Congress to come out voluntarily in 1987. In 2012, at age 72, he married Jim Ready and became the first sitting member of Congress to wed a same-sex partner. He insisted his husband be invited to events where other representatives’ spouses were welcome, helping normalize same-sex relationships in political life. Frank faced bigotry and used his platform to argue for rights including marriage, military service, and employment based on qualifications. He also supported outing closeted politicians who used their positions to harm LGBTQ+ people, emphasizing privacy without hypocrisy.

"Frank became the first gay member of Congress to come out voluntarily when he publicly declared his sexual orientation in 1987. "Prejudice is based on ignorance," Frank told The Boston Globe in 2011. "And the best way to counterbalance it is with a living example, with reality.""

"In 2012, at age 72, Frank married Jim Ready and became the first sitting member of Congress to wed someone of the same sex. He insisted his male partner be invited to all events where other representatives' spouses were welcome, normalising same-sex relationships in the halls of power."

"He responded by saying he did have a list of things he would like to see for LGBT people, including "the right to marry the individual of our choice; the right to serve in the military to defend our country; and the right to a job based solely on our own qualifications". And while he accepted it was an "agenda", he said it was not "radical"."

"Frank also believed in outing a closeted politician while they were using their position to harm LGBT people. He said on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher: "I think there's a right to privacy. But the right to privacy should not be a right to hypocrisy. And people who want to demonise other people shouldn't then be able to go home and close the door and do it themselves.""

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