Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) was the first openly gay representative in the House of Representatives. Thus, it was only fitting that, last Saturday, he became the first member of Congress to marry a same-sex partner.
Just eight years after same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, Frank married his partner, James Ready, in a “low-key ceremony” that lasted less than five minutes. The guest list was full of political elite, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator John Kerry, and Representatives Dennis Kucinich and Steny Hoyer.
Pledging to love each other “on MSNBC or on FOX” and “in Congress or in retirement,” the couple exchanged vows that played off of Frank’s decision not to seek re-election in 2012.
Frank, 72, and Ready, 42, met for the first time at a political fundraiser in 2005. From there, their platonic friendship grew into something more.
“I told him I had a crush on him for 20 years,” Ready said, remembering the inspiration that Frank became after announcing that he was gay in 1986. From then on, Frank became a Democratic activist for gay rights.
Representative Pelosi found it only fitting that the two had their landmark wedding so close to the Fourth of July: “It’s about expanding freedom. This opportunity was a long time coming.”
Photo Credit: Gretchen Ertl, The New York Times