Since Frank’s retirement the couple has been catching up on lost time. Sitting nearby was his husband, Jim Ready, a goateed surfing enthusiast, whom he married last summer. “I remember some of the Democratic leadership saying, ‘Do you have to?’ ‘Yes, I have to.’” “When the original Don’t Ask Don’t Tell went through, I insisted on an amendment to object,” Frank said. At the airport bearing LaGuardia’s name, Frank had noticed a mural commemorating the dedication of the Marine Air Terminal: “It’s on my literal birthday: March 31st, 1940.” Frank’s role in “Fiorello!” was a senator who chides LaGuardia for being too vocal in the House, something he has had some experience with. “I knew I was gay at the time, but I wasn’t talking about it,” Frank recalled. He empathized with LaGuardia as an “outsider”-an Italian half-Jew who spoke up for immigrants’ rights. There was one famous quote where he said to his police commissioner, ‘Muss ’em up, Lew.’” And then as Mayor he was also a very progressive guy. “He would sit on the floor eating peanuts, because he knew if he left to get something to eat they’d pull some trick on him. In graduate school, he had read Arthur Mann’s book on LaGuardia in Congress and become an ardent admirer. “I cited that about the 2010 election,” Frank said, recalling the Tea Party’s rise to power. “If I had been betting, I’d have bet yes,” he said.Who’d ever guess that the people would go to the polls and elect a fanatic? People can do what they want to but I got a feeling it ain’t democratic. Frank would be the last member of his Congressional class to get married, Frank had been elected to Congress within a year of each other. Representative Hoyer, the Maryland Democrat, said he and Mr. The gift bags included salt-water taffy from Maine, where Mr. It was a reworked version of the 1970s hit “Low Rider,” with politically themed lyrics co-written by Mr. (The wool, however, was by Loro Piana, a premium Italian mill.) The dark floral ties were designed by Baruch Shemtov, a close friend of the couple.Īfter cake, a lyrics sheet was passed out to the guests. The groomsmen wore brand-new Joseph Abboud suits, gifts from the couple from the Massachusetts-based manufacturer. Pelosi, in pearls and a pantsuit, sat next to Representative Rosa L. There, guests dined on a four-course meal that included NewĮngland clam chowder, vegan soba noodles and a vegetable strudel. Senator Kerry and Governor Patrick, who officiated, were nowhere to be found by the time the party moved indoors, to the Marriott’s grand ballroom. “It’s a sign of fertility for their marriage.” Kucinich ran up to a reporter and gestured toward a nearby meadow. Later, at an outdoor cocktail reception after the ceremony, Ms. “He’s humble, and at the same time, he carries ![]() Ready had become close friends at Congressional retreats and picnics. “You could see the joy on their faces,” Ms. ![]() Kucinich, who leapt with joy as the bridegroomsĪppeared and snapped dozens of photos for an album that she planned to present as a gift to the couple. He was trailed by a few hired photographers and by Ms. Frank, famous for his tirades, appeared close to tears as his sister, Ann Lewis, walked him down the aisle. Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times Representative Nancy Pelosi congratulated Mr. Pelosi, the House minority leader, in the first few rows. The ceremony, which began at 6 p.m., took place in a garden outside the hotel’s first floor. Frank said he liked the convenience for out-of-town guests.) The hotel overlooks a bend of theĬharles River - and a busy, honking intersection of two major highways. Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, and his husband, Jim Ready, chose a nondescript Marriott in his Congressional district to host the occasion. Gushing, offered its own display of the liberal Democrat establishment celebrating the first-ever same-sex wedding of a congressman.Įschewing more glamorous locales, Mr. There was no shortage of boldface public servants here on Saturday, when Representative Barney Frank was married in what one guest described as “the wedding of the century for liberal gay Democratic politics.” And the reception, with music, And Terrence McNally, the playwright, joined in the hora and a group singalong of “Low Rider” by War, with President Obama-themed lyrics Swayed on the dance floor to “It’s Raining Men.”Įlizabeth Kucinich snapped photographs, as her husband, Dennis, chatted up Representative Steny H. Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times Representative Barney Frank, left, with his husband, Jim Ready, during their wedding reception in Newton, Mass.
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