Barney Frank Makes History, Becomes First Congressman Marrying a Same Sex Partner

Impact

Things are changing in America when it comes to LGBT rights. Not only has a sitting president endorsed marriage equality but, in the same year, a sitting member of Congress – Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) – has tied the knot with his longtime same-sex partner Jim Ready in a ceremony officiated by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick himself.

Frank spokesman Harry Gural says the 72-year-old congressman married 42-year-old Jim Ready, a small business owner from Ogunquit, Maine, in a Saturday evening wedding at the Boston Marriott hotel in Newton. Gural says more than 300 friends, family and colleagues attended.

This effectively makes Frank, a Democrat who is retiring after more than three decades in office and represents the 4th Congressional District in southeastern Massachusetts, the first sitting American congressman who marries his or her same sex partner – a feat that not only makes history but also boosts the fight for LGBT rights, now the undoubtable Civil Rights issue of our era.