Rep. Barney Frank Plans to Marry Longtime Partner Before Retiring From Office

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) plans to marry his longtime partner in July, which will make him the first gay member of Congress to do so.

“I think it’s important that my colleagues interact with a married gay man,” Frank said in an interview with New York magazine published online Sunday.

Frank, who plans to retire from Congress this year after 16 terms, became the first openly gay member of Congress in 1987. Frank announced in January his plan to marry longtime partner Jim Ready.