Barney Frank is getting married. The longtime congressman, who announced that he was retiring last year, will be getting married to his partner Jim Ready in Massachusetts.

Frank and Ready have not released any other details about the wedding.

Frank served as a congressman in Massachusetts, where gay marriage has been legal since 2004, for 32-years. Frank will be not be seeking re-election and is set to leave congress next winter. It’s unclear if Frank will get married while he is still a member of the United States Congress. CNN notes that if the wedding occurs before Frank leaves office he will be the first sitting member of congress to marry a member of the same sex.

Frank, 71, and Ready, 42, met about 6-years ago at a political fundraiser. A few weeks ago, Frank told Charlie Rose:

“I have a partner now. I’m in love for the first time in my life.”

Frank and Ready have tried to keep their relationship quiet but it has made it into the public eye a few times. Ready mocked Frank’s Republican challenger Sean Bielat after a debate in 2010 and in 2007 Ready was arrested for having pot plants in his home.

Are you happy for Barney Frank?

Over the years, Frank has had many opportunities to weigh in on gay marriage. Here are Barney Frank quotes about gay rights. 

“Gay people have a different role than other minority groups…Very few black kids have ever had to worry about telling their parents that they were black.”

“They’re (congressional opponents) saying that my ability to marry another man somehow jeopardizes heterosexual marriage. Then they go out and cheat on their wives. That doesn’t jeopardize heterosexual marriage? It’s nonsense.”

“There is a correlation between people who attack same-sex marriage and have difficulty maintaining their own.”

Barney Frank Engaged to Partner Jim Ready is a post from: The Inquisitr

JPK may soon be running for congress. Joseph P. Kennedy III, the grandson of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, announced today that he is considering a run for Barney Frank’s congressional seat.

Kennedy said:

“I am announcing today my intention to explore a candidacy for the United States Congress in the Fourth District of Massachusetts.”

Frank announced that he was retiring earlier this year and that his seat will be vacant come election season. Kennedy also announced earlier this year that he was resigning as a prosecutor in the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.

Kennedy said:

“My decision to look seriously at elected office is grounded in a deep commitment to public service and my experience — both my own and that of my family — in finding just, practical, and bipartisan solutions to difficult challenges. It is a commitment instilled in me at a young age and one that inspired me to join the Peace Corps after college and to become a prosecutor after law school.’’

In his announcement, Kennedy also took a few swings at Washington, saying that the government is saddling the next generation with “unsustainable debt.”

Kennedy said.

“Then when it comes time to restoring fiscal sanity to our budget, we see the middle class and the poor take the hit while the wealthy get more tax breaks.”

Reuters reports that Joseph P. Kennedy III is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy. His great-uncles are were the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the late Senator Ted Kennedy.

Kennedy said that he will make his final decision to run for congress soon.

Do you want to see another Kennedy in politics?

Joseph P. Kennedy III Eyes Barney Frank’s Congressional Seat is a post from: The Inquisitr

It must have been a tid bit nipply on the floor of the House yesterday, as Barney Frank’s shirt did little to hide his… well, man boobs.

Frank has never been known for his dapper appearance. Uncombed hair, a sloppy tie, and an unbuttoned top button are common staples of Frank’s congressional appearance but now that he’s announced his retirement, it looks like he’s completely given up on trying to impress the public.

Mediate reports that Frank has a cast on his left hand so he opted not to put his arm through the sleeve of his jacket. This created the cape like effect in the photo and revealed two pointy Barney Frank nipples.

Frank was talking about the FDIC and recent bank failures, but everyone else was talking about his near see-thru shirt. You can see the video of Frank’s speech below.

Has Barney Frank given up on his appearance?

Barney Frank’s Shirt Reveals a Tad Too Much About the Congressman is a post from: The Inquisitr

Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank will announce later today that he will not seek re-election in 2012, it is expected.

Frank is a staunch and unabashed liberal voice in the house, and has garnered prominence on a national level due to his outspoke and often hilarious comments on hot button issues like gay rights and universal healthcare. During the heated town hall meetings of 2008 surrounding the healthcare issue, Frank- who is Jewish- famously quipped to one angry attendee:

“When you ask me that question I am gonna revert to my ethnic heritage and answer your question with a question: On what planet do you spend most of your time? [...] As you stand there with a picture of the President defaced to look like Hitler, and compare the effort to increase health care to the Nazis, my answer to you is, as I said before, it is a tribute to the First Amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated. Ma’am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table: I have no interest in doing it.”

Earlier this year, Frank- who was elected to Congress first in 1980- declared that he would seek re-election in the 2012 election, so the decision not to run was somewhat of a surprise to constituents. A press conference is scheduled at 1PM in Newton, Massachusetts, at which time Rep. Frank is expected to discuss the decision not to run for 17th term in 2012 in greater detail.

Barney Frank Will Not Seek Re-Election in 2012, Press Conference at 1PM is a post from: The Inquisitr

Town Hall meetings have become a national late night punchline of late, but Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) dished it right back at some angry protesters last night.

The highlight of the exchange, seen in the first clip, involves another tired Obama-as-Hitler, Healthcare-as-Eugenics comparison, and Frank isn’t having it. When a woman poses the question of why Frank (who is Jewish) continues to support “Nazi policies,” Frank responds with his trademark alacrity:

“On what planet do you spend most of your time?

“It’s a tribute to the First Amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated.

“Ma’am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.”

Below are two clips- first of the moment quoted above, and a second, longer clip showing more of the overall dialogue. Even in the reporting, you’ll see a divide- more liberal outlets favor the clip of the crazy Nazi poster lady, whereas more conservative outlets prefer a montage of Frank facepalming while protesters shout, condensing his quips into a block of what seems like dismissing his constituents.

So, question- do you love Barney Frank?

Barney Frank pwns Town Hall protester is a post from: The Inquisitr