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Donald Trump, Barney Frank. Credit: Getty Images
Barney Frank, the Congressman from Massachusetts who made history by becoming the first openly gay member of Congress, has died at 86. Before he died, he shared his one last regret, and it involved President Donald Trump.
Barney Frank’s sister confirmed to NBC Boston that he passed away on Wednesday. Frank, who represented southern Massachusetts in the House for 32 years, became a very important person, not only to his voters but to people nationwide, as he was the first openly gay member of Congress.
He also helped overhaul Wall Street regulations after the 2008 financial crisis. Barney paved the way for other openly gay elected officials in the United States.
In 2012, he made history as the first member of Congress to marry a same-sex partner, when he wed his longtime partner, Jim Ready.
“It was life-changing, lifesaving for me,” Frank told NBC News last month. “I think the key to our having made the enormous progress we made in defeating anti-gay prejudice had to do with us all coming out and people discovering the gap between our reality and the way we were painted.”
Barney Frank, born on March 31, 1940, in Bayonne, New Jersey, retired from politics in 2013. Now, tributes are pouring in.
Pioneer gay Rep. Barney Frank dies at 86
Former President Barack Obama took to X, writing, Barney Frank was one of a kind. For more than three decades in Congress, he fought tirelessly for the people of Massachusetts, helped make housing more affordable, stood up for the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, and helped pass one of the most sweeping financial reforms in history designed to protect consumers and prevent another financial crisis.”
Obama continued, “Barney’s passion and wit were second to none, and our thoughts are with his family today,” Obama concluded.