Retiring Massachusetts Rep. Barney
Frank is considering writing a book about the gay rights movement in
America.
The 72-year-old Frank has the
distinction of being the first openly gay member of Congress and the
first to enter a marriage with a member of the same sex.
He told Boston's
NPR station that he wants to “write a history of the gay rights
movement in America.”
“My career in government and the gay
rights movement are virtually of the same age. I got elected to the
state Legislature in 1972, three years after Stonewall, which is
really the beginning – the Stonewall Riots of 1969 – of the gay
rights movement. And I've been involved literally for 40 years in
every movement to try and diminish the prejudice based on sexual
orientation and later gender identity, and I want to write about
that.”
“I think I have stuff to contribute
to the understanding of American politics and society because I, in
this case, have a kind of observer role as well as participant,” he
added.