Congressman Barney Frank Discusses Morality in Politics

Release date: October 26, 2007 |

Barney Frank — the Democratic congressman from Massachusetts who has been in the news recently regarding federal interest rate cuts and a national ban on job discrimination against gay, lesbian, and transgender workers — will present a lecture on morality in politics in Goucher College’s Haebler Memorial Chapel on Friday, October 26, at 8 p.m.

This event, which helps kick off the college’s new capital campaign, is free and open to the public. Tickets, however, must be reserved by calling 410-337-6333 or e-mailing boxoffice@goucher.edu.

Frank, who has represented Massachusetts’ fourth congressional district for more than 25 years, first ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980, when the incumbent, Father Robert Drinan, retired under order by Pope John Paul II. Despite narrow victories in both the primary and general elections and heated protest against his pro-choice stance, Frank won the seat and began his career on the national political stage.

During his tenure, Frank has been a leader on issues such as immigration, reproductive rights, gun control, fair housing, consumer rights, banking, and the medical use of marijuana. He is perhaps best known, however, for his involvement in federal monetary policies and gay rights advocacy.

Following the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives in the 2006 midterm elections, Frank became chair of the influential House Financial Services Committee, which oversees issues of banking, insurance, real estate, consumer rights, and financial privacy laws. Throughout his career, he has been critical of the Federal Reserve system and recently became the first chairman of the Financial Services Committee in a decade to exert public pressure for aggressive federal interest rate cuts.

Although Frank has also become recognized as a prominent figure in liberal politics and an outspoken proponent of gay rights issues, he kept his own sexual orientation a private matter early in his political career for fear that disclosing it would jeopardize his chances for election. It was not until 1987 that he commented publicly about being gay when questioned by a reporter from The Boston Globe.

In the 1988 election, his Republican challenger, Debra Tucker, tried to use his sexual orientation as an issue in the race, but Frank won re-election with 70 percent of the vote.

Frank founded the National Stonewall Democrats, the national gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democratic organization in 1998. He has also worked to end discrimination against homosexuals by the military, and he has been a vigorous supporter of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would make it illegal to use sexual orientation as a factor in employment decisions such as hiring, firing, and promotion.

As it stands now, it is legal for employers in 31 states to fire someone for being gay, lesbian, or transgender. Frank predicts the ENDA ban will win House approval in coming weeks, but he and other gay rights supporters are less optimistic about the fight ahead in the narrowly divided Senate, where 60 votes — rather than a simple majority — would be needed to overcome anticipated GOP stall tactics.