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Barney Frank charted path for other openly gay lawmakers

By Ed O’Keefe,December 03, 2012

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Although he does enjoy some stature as a trailblazer, Frank has been a politically polarizing figure, even in the gay political community. Richard Tisei, a Massachusetts Republican who is gay and lost his bid for a House seat this year, faced harsh political attacks from Frank during his campaign. He credited the congressman with advancing gay rights but said in an e-mail that “in recent times his caustic demeanor and hyperpartisanship limited his ability to reach out to a broader audience to help change opinions and build consensus.” He added: “To be successful in the future we need different types of leaders who aren’t so polarizing and who are able to build bridges and promote better understanding of the issues affecting the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community.”

In July, Frank married his longtime partner, James Ready, and introduced him on the Hill as his husband. But Frank’s professional life has emphasized his role as a lawmaker who is gay, rather than as a gay activist who is a member of Congress.

He said that although he has counseled a few state legislators about coming out, he has not played that role for any other members of Congress. His advice has been that people should come out when they are ready.

“Do it if you feel that strongly, forgetting about the political consequences,” Frank said. “Once you do, then your job is once you’re out, if there are people who are deeply prejudiced against you because of who you are, forget them — you can’t waste your time on them.”

Frank moved out of his suite in the Rayburn House Office Building last week and is biding his time in a tiny office off the Cannon House Office Building rotunda. He said his only regrets are not voting for the 1991 Persian Gulf War (“I thought George Bush Sr. handled that one well”) and not sensing the beginnings of the nation’s housing crisis more quickly. But he said President Obama’s reelection affirms the financial regulatory reforms he helped enact in recent years and makes it easier for him to leave now, despite any other unfinished business.

“I’m worn out. I’m 72, I’ll be 73 in a couple of months,” he said. “I had never thought I’d stay after 75.”

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