Barney Frank

Barney Frank, the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay, died last month, but he leaves behind quite a legacy. At his memorial, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said "we’re proud to be the state that sent him to Congress 16 times. There’s never been anyone quite like him. I don’t know that we’ll see anyone quite like him again. Brilliant, fearless, hilarious. He could destroy a weak argument or musing with a single line and leave you laughing."

Back in July 2012 Frank married his long-time partner, James Ready, and became the first member of Congress to marry someone of the same sex while in office.

The Washington Post referred to Frank as a "gay rights hero" and The New York Times called him a "gay pioneer." NBC News pointed out that Frank was a "champion" of Wall Street reform and at the same time was a "trailblazer" in the LGBTQ community. Stuart Weisberg's 2009 biography Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman is a good source for more about Frank's life.

In many ways, Barney Frank helped change the course of American history, especially for the LGBTQ+ community.