Retiring Massachusetts Rep. Barney
Frank will marry his boyfriend Jim Ready, The
Washington Post reported.
The 71-year-old Frank announced in
November that he would not seek re-election in 2012 because of
redistricting changes that would force him out of his 4th
congressional District and into an attempt to represent new
constituents for only a few years before he retires.
Frank and Ready, 42, a resident of
Maine, first met at a 2005 fundraiser in Maine. The couple began
dating in 2007, after Ready's partner died.
Frank officially came out gay at
the age of 47, during his fourth term as congressman, in a
Boston Globe May 30, 1987 front page story titled Frank
Discuses Being Gay. He said he
was prompted to come forward by the death of Stewart McKinney, a
closeted bisexual Republican representative from Connecticut.
Although Frank was
closeted during his early political life, he strongly supported gay
rights. After coming out, Frank backed a number of gay rights
measures in the House.
The couple will
marry in Massachusetts, the first state to legalize gay marriage in
2004. Details on the couple's wedding plans were not available.