Barney Frank Weds Partner to Become First Congressman in a Same-Sex Marriage
James Ready and Barney Frank
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank married his longtime partner James Ready Saturday, becoming the nation's first congressman in a same-sex marriage.
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Frank, 72, and Ready, a 42-year-old carpenter-welder, exchanged vows on the banks of the Charles River in Newton, Mass., The New York Times reports. Gov. Deval L. Patrick officiated and guests included House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. John Kerry. The couple pledged to love each other "on MSNBC or on Fox" and "in Congress or in retirement."
Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, became the first openly gay member of Congress when he came out in 1987.
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He and Ready met at a 2005 political fundraiser — a year after same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts. "I told him I had a crush on him for 20 years," Ready said, recalling the impact of Frank's coming-out to him when he was a teenager.