Hundreds of current and former lawmakers gathered at Faneuil Hall in Boston on Monday to celebrate the legacy of longtime Congressman Barney Frank.
Frank, who represented Massachusetts’ Fourth District for 32 years, died last month at the age of 86 after being treated for congestive heart failure. He had been in hospice care at his home in Ogunquit, Maine.
“Perhaps the congressman’s greatest legacy was changing how we do politics in Boston,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “He believed that government at its best could solve problems that mattered, and he trusted the people of Boston — all of Boston — to figure out those solutions.”
Frank, who was well-known for his advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, became the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay in 1987.
Gov. Maura Healey recalled when Frank came out publicly, saying that years later, he was the first person that came to mind when she decided to run for office.
“Barney Frank showed incredible bravery, in my view, to answer the question posed to him by the reporter: ‘I’m gay, so what?’ What a masterful way to address that,” said Healey. “And then, of course, he went on to this incredible career, showing up not just for the gay community, but showing up for all of us in so many ways, and becoming such an incredible force with such an impact on our country.”
Jim Segel, Frank’s campaign manager and longtime friend, said when Frank was first elected as a state representative in 1972, he pursued two agenda items immediately. The first was electing the first Black state senator.
Frank worked with Mel King and Doris Bunte to devise a strategy that would get a majority Black district for state Senate, Segal said.
“Barney was fearless. He took on the Senate leadership and the House leadership as a freshman,” Segel said. “They never forgot. It came back 10 years later, but we won after four vetoes we sustained. We got a Black Senate district, and Senator Bill Owens was elected.”
At the same time, Frank became the first congressman to file legislation for LGBTQ+ rights in 1972.
“He filed a bill to prohibit discrimination in housing and employment for gay people, and he roll-called the bill” Segel said. “He knew it was a long-term effort, but he did it.”
That bill’s passing continued the conversation of LGBTQ+ rights among legislators, and ultimately led to Massachusetts becoming the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004.
“Barney’s strategy worked, and gay rights now is something ... he was most proud of at his death, that he had really furthered that, not only in Massachusetts, but nationally,” he said.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Frank “deeply believed that government could be a force for good in people’s lives, to expand opportunity, protect consumers, expand and defend civil rights, and strengthen our democracy.”
“He brought that belief to every fight,” she continued.
Pelosi recalled when Frank advocated for the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
“We were just having some trouble getting it out of committee, and people came to us and said, ‘If you take out trans, you can pass this in a minute,’” she said. “Barney and I said, ‘If we take out trans, we won’t pass it in 100 years because we’re never going to bring it up that way.’”
“America’s working families have lost an iconic champion,” said Pelosi. “Massachusetts lost one of its greatest public servants. And many of us have lost a treasured friend.”
Healey also emphasized “the breadth of issues he touched” as a lawmaker.
“He advanced healthcare access, reproductive rights, racial justice, immigrant rights, criminal justice reform, veterans’ benefits, environmental protection, animal cruelty, housing affordability, food security,” she said. “His legacy, it seems, touches all of us.”
Former State Lt. Governor and longtime friend Tom O’Neill said Frank demonstrated that authenticity is a form of leadership.
“Barney wasn’t special because he was gay. He wasn’t special because he was Jewish. And he wasn’t special because he was left-handed. Those were attributes,” he said. “Barney was special because of the way he was as a person, as a man. His greatest legacy may be the courage he showed simply by living openly and honestly.”
