It was also his inclination to question his own colleagues when fighting for what he thought best that made him a maverick, a habit needed now more than ever when any intra-party resistance is deemed disloyal.ĭuring his 32-year tenure in the the House, Frank took a middle ground to advocate for a judicious expansion of gay rights. Gay politicians came before him, and more after. Frank’s self-expression, though inspirational, does not qualify as political courage alone. In 1990, his fifth term in the House of Representatives, he helped amend the 1900 Immigration Act, adding a prohibition on the use of sexual orientation as criterion to deny immigrants entry into the US (S.358 – 101st Congress (1989-1990): Immigration Act of 1900). In 1973, he sponsored a bill to overturn Massachusetts sodomy laws. In 1972, Frank was the only candidate for the Massachusetts State House to tell gay and lesbian groups that he would support legislation repealing anti-sodomy statutes and banning job discrimination (Carlisle “Barney Frank Talks progress needed on LGBTQ rights”). Coming out on one’s own terms was unheard of, but Frank “was ashamed of myself for hiding my membership in a universally despised group” (Frank “My Life as a Gay Congressman”).Įven before coming out, Frank’s political record reflected a pro-LGBTQ attitude. Most gay officials at the time came out because of scandal Gerry Studds, the first openly gay House representative, was censured after admitting to a relationship with a page. A politician coming out as gay in 1987 America when 78% of the public thought same-sex relations were “always wrong” amounted to a courageous risk, ostensibly an act of political suicide (Smith Public Attitudes toward homosexuality). So what?” (Carlisle “Barney Frank Talks progress needed on LGBTQ rights”). On May 23, 1987, the Boston Globe ran a piece quoting Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Barney Frank: “If you ask the direct question: ‘Are you gay?’ The answer is yes. Harper, here is a piece assessing the political courage of Former Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank, written in the same spirit as President Kennedy’s famous 1956 book. As I finish a comprehensive piece regarding the North Carolina gerrymandering case the Court put on its docket this term, Moore v.
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