Barney Frank, First US Congressman to Voluntarily Come Out, Dies at 86

Former US House Representative Barney Frank passed away on May 19 at the age of 86. His death was confirmed to NBC Boston by his sister Ann Lewis and a close family friend.

A Democrat representing Massachusetts, Frank served in Congress for 32 years, from 1981 to 2013. In 1987, he became the first sitting member of the US Congress to voluntarily come out as gay.

Frank was a prominent figure in American politics. He actively advocated for civil rights expansion, including LGBT rights. Additionally, he played a key role in drafting US financial legislation, most notably co-authoring the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which aimed to reform Wall Street following the global financial crisis.

Since 2013, Frank had lived in Ogunquit, Maine, with his husband Jim Ready. In early May, he was transferred to a home hospice. Shortly before his death, he gave an interview to the Washington Blade, discussing his upcoming book The Hard Path to Unity: Why We Must Reform the Left to Save Democracy. The book is scheduled for publication on September 15, 2026.