Barney Frank, pioneering openly gay U.S.A congressman, dies at 86

Barney Frank, a longtime Democratic congressman from Massachusetts and one of the first openly gay members of the U.S. House of Representatives, died Tuesday night at his home in Ogunquit, Maine. He was 86. Frank had been in hospice care for congestive heart failure since April, according to friends and local media, the BBC reports.

Frank represented a southern Massachusetts district in Congress from 1981 to 2013, becoming a central figure in both LGBTQ+ equality and financial regulation. He was the first member of Congress to marry a same-sex partner, his husband Jim Ready, while still in office — a moment that visibly affirmed the legitimacy of same-sex relationships within the highest levels of government.

“He was, above all else, a wonderful brother. I was lucky to be his sister,” his sister, Doris Breay, told NBC Boston.

Jim Segel, Frank’s former campaign manager, told Axios that the former congressman had informed friends when he entered hospice care. “He was certainly at peace with himself,” Segel said, adding that Frank “was a leader on civil rights, on gay rights, on leading other marginalized communities, and then he helped the country get through the 2008 financial crisis, which was the most significant crisis since 1930.”

Frank played a central role in drafting the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the sweeping post-crisis law named for him and Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. The legislation created new regulatory bodies and imposed stricter oversight on banks and financial markets in the wake of the 2008 collapse.

On Capitol Hill, Frank was a forceful advocate for LGBTQ+ service members and workers. He pressed for the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that barred gay and lesbian members of the U.S. military from serving openly, and he championed legislation to ban workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, even when those efforts fell short.

In a recent interview with GBH, conducted while he was in hospice care, Frank reflected on his decades in public life. Asked if he would change any part of his career, he replied, “I would have come out earlier” - a statement that resonated with many LGBTQ+ Americans who saw their own journeys reflected in his.

Our thoughts are with Barney Frank's family and friends.