Barney Frank, pioneering openly gay US congressman and financial reformer, dies at 86

Mass. congressman Barney Frank was the first House member to come out as gay and was instrumental in Wall Street reforms after the Great Recession. He died this week at the age of 86.

Barney Frank, a pioneering gay politician who helped change the landscape for LGBTQ+ representation in America, has died at age 86. Frank became the first gay member of Congress to come out voluntarily when he publicly declared his sexual orientation in 1987. “Prejudice is based on ignorance,” Frank told The Boston Globe in 2011. “And […] The post Barney Frank, the first out gay member of Congress, dies at 86 appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barney Frank, the longtime Democratic congressman and leading liberal who brought new visibility to gay rights and crafted the most significant reforms to the financial system in a generation, has died. He was 86.

The Massachusetts congressman crafted the most significant reforms to the financial system in a generation.

Barney Frank, the former Massachusetts congressman for 32 years and the first member of Congress to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality, has died at 86. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul reports.

For more than two decades, former Rep. Barney Frank refused to speak to reporters from The Washington Times.

Former Rep. Barney Frank, who was the first openly gay member of Congress and known for the Dodd-Frank Act, died at age 86. He had entered hospice care at his home in Maine in April and is survived by his husband of 14 years, Jim Ready.

Frank, who represented Massachusetts in Congress for more than three decades, died on Tuesday (May 19) after entering hospice care in Maine with congestive heart failure, according to his former campaign manager and close friend Jim Segel.

Democrat Barney Frank, who represented Massachusetts in Congress from 1981 until he retired in 2013, has died at age 86. In 2008, Lesley Stahl spoke with Frank, the first member to voluntarily come out as gay, about politics, his personal life, the government bailout, and his work as head of the House Financial Services Committee during the financial crisis.

The former congressman was politically engaged until the end. As GBH reports, Even in hospice, Frank was actively working to spread the message of his forthcoming book, "The Hard Path to Unity: Why We Must Reform the Left to Rescue Democracy."

First openly gay member of Congress led landmark banking reforms in wake of the financial crisis

The longtime Democratic congressman and leading liberal brought new visibility to gay rights and crafted the most significant reforms to the financial system in a generation. Frank was known for his acerbic wit, combative style and focus on marginalized communities. He was 86.

The Democratic lawmaker served as chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011.

After a decades-long career in Congress, he spent his final weeks at his home in Maine living in hospice.

He gave a final interview just weeks before his death

The Massachusetts Democrat, an LGBTQ trailblazer, became the first member of Congress to come out voluntarily as gay in 1987. The post Barney Frank, former Democratic congressman and Dodd-Frank architect, dies at 86 appeared first on MS NOW.

Often voted the “brainiest,” “funniest” and “most eloquent” member of the House, he was also the first to come out voluntarily and helped normalize being openly gay in public office.

The Massachusetts Democrat led a sweeping overhaul of the financial industry and was one of the first openly gay members of Congress.

Barney Frank, the quick-witted Massachusetts congressman and liberal lion who helped overhaul Wall Street regulations after the 2008 financial crisis and made history as one of the first openly gay members of Congress, died Wednesday, his sister confirmed to NBC Boston