Barney Frank
A hero of mine.
My heart goes out to Barney’s husband Jim, and all of Barney’s friends and family, on his passing. Barney Frank has always been a hero of mine. We grew up in similar circumstances, he in New Jersey, me in upper Manhattan. Both of us knew at a young age we were gay, though that was not a term used when we were young. It was a time when one definitely couldn’t come ‘out’ if you wanted to go into politics.
I first met Barney when a mutual friend brought him to brunch at my home in D.C. I had moved to D.C. in 1978 to work for the Carter administration, directing the follow-up to the White House Conference Handicapped Individuals. That is the term we used back then. I never went back to New York. Barney had been elected to Congress when we met. Neither of us was publicly out.
Barney Frank was brilliant, and I was honored to meet him. I always enjoyed listening to him speak, whether it was at a Congressional hearing, or an event we were both at. Barney was never one for small talk. When we both ended up living in Dupont, he would see me sitting at a coffee shop when he walked by, and simply nod hello, not stopping to chat. If he ever did stop, I always knew it was to suggest something I should be doing, or writing about. Barney had a sparkling wit, when he wanted to share it, and knew more about most topics than anyone else. In 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010, Washingtonian Magazine reported congressional staffers named him the brainiest member of Congress. CBS news reported in 2008 and 2011 that Leslie Stahl and others, referred to him as the smartest guy in congress. They were right. I had worked for another brilliant member of Congress, Bella S. Abzug (D-NY). But Bella was out of Congress by the time Barney got there. It would have been great fun seeing them work together. I was working for her when she introduced the first Equality Act in 1974. At the time I was deeply closeted.
I finally did come out in 1984, which was before Barney did. But then I wasn’t running for Office. He came out In 1987 and became an even more passionate supporter of the LGBTQ community than he was before. Because as an openly gay man he could make his speeches, and support, even more personal. He spoke eloquently trying to pass the Equality Act which didn’t pass the House until after he retired, and then it died in the Senate. I was, and am, a passionate supporter of the Equality Act, and still believe in my lifetime it will pass the congress, and we will have a President who will sign it into law. Hope springs eternal as they say.
Barney was more than just an LGBTQ advocate. He worked tirelessly on so many issues, in his effort to make life better for all Americans. In an interview he did after he entered hospice and just before he passed, he said the bill he is proudest of, is the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. It is a sweeping law enacted to overhaul financial regulation following the 2008 financial crisis. Its primary purpose was to end ‘Too big to fail’ bailouts, and protect consumers from abusive financial practices. It was signed into law by President Obama in 2010.
When it became public that Barney Frank was entering home hospice, and being cared for by his husband Jim, it got so many of us to look back at his amazing career. Once again, we think about the giant he was, both during his time in the Congress, and during his life before, and after. He was the first member of the LGBTQ community who married while in Congress. He was one of the people in our community who really made a difference, and in doing so made so many of our lives better.
When interviewed recently Barney said he was in the process of writing another book on politics, and I hope he had the chance to finish it as I already look forward to reading it. When he entered hospice, I emailed Barney and told him I was visualizing him as our community’s Art Buchwald. Those of you who are old enough may remember Buchwald. He was an American humorist, best known for his columns in the Washington Post. He also went into hospice care. But in his case, after five months there, and giving many interviews, he left hospice and wrote another book. It was titled ‘To Soon to Say Goodbye’ about his five months in hospice. I told Barney, I was praying I will get to hear him, and see him, on that next book tour.
But that was not to be. Barney passed last Tuesday. Barney, I want to join all the others who thank you for a life well lived, and all you have done to make my life, the lives of the rest of us in the LGBTQ community, better. We could have never asked for a stronger, or more passionate, advocate. Barney, may you now RIP.