English: Official Congressional portrait of Congressman Barney Frank. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)WASHINGTON:America's most prominent openly gay lawmaker Barney Frank, whose overt homosexuality hasn't inhibited his Massachusetts constituents from voting him to the US House of Representatives for 16 consecutive terms,married his male partner Jim Ready on Saturday in the first same sex marriage in the history of the US Congress , and perhaps in the higher echelons of US politics.Frank, who is 72, married Ready, 30 years his junior, after they had dated for seven years. They had met at a fundraiser . Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, Speaker Nancy Pelosi , and other liberal lawmakers and politicos attended the brief wedding ceremony on the banks of Boston's Charles River.
Widely admired for his sharp wit and brilliant legislative ability, Frank came out of the closet in 1985 after a brief fling with heterosexuality . His gayness shocked some people early in his career, but his political acumen and razor sharp mind soon won over his congressional district, which voted him to Washington without thumping majorities , often without an opponent in sight. After 32 years in the House of Representatives, Frank has said he will not run for Congress in next election.
Frank was often voted the brainiest and funniest politician in Washington. During the Bill-Clinton-Monica Lewinsky Scandal, he expressed his inability to finish his review of an inquiry report, complaining that "it was too much reading about heterosexual acts" . Another example of his wit: In the wedding vows written by the couple, they pledged to love each other "on MSNBC or on Fox" and "in Congress or in retirement" .
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
