Frank: a Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage by Barney Frank

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Frank: a Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage by Barney Frank

National Museum of American Jewish History Quarterly Members & Docents Book Club Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage by Barney Frank Discussed at NMAJH on August 31, 2015 Barnett "Barney" Frank (born March 31, 1940) is an American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee (2007–2011) and was a leading co-sponsor of the 2010 Dodd–Frank Act, a sweeping reform of the U.S. financial industry. Frank, a resident of Newton, Massachusetts, is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States. (Wikipedia) Franklin Edward "Frank" Kameny (May 21, 1925 – October 11, 2011) was an American gay rights activist. In 1957, Kameny was dismissed from his position as an astronomer in the U.S. Army's Army Map Service in Washington, D.C. because of his homosexuality, leading him to begin "a Herculean struggle with the American establishment" that would "spearhead a new period of militancy in the homosexual rights movement of the early 1960s". He has been referred to as "one of the most significant figures" in the American gay rights movement. (Wikipedia) See Page 166 in Frank. Discussion Questions: 1. The autobiography opens with Barney noting a dramatic turnabout from 1954 to 2014. Government went from high esteem to low esteem; gay rights went in the reverse order. Do you agree or not? Why? 2. Could the same observation apply to Jewish politicians? 3. Barney Frank acknowledges the role of Frank Kameny in the gay rights movement (see above). Barney is less appreciative of the role of gay rights activists who protested, marched, etc., publicly. Could gay rights legislation have been enacted without public demonstrations? 4. Frank says, “Incrementalism is not the enemy of militancy; it is often the only means of expressing it.” P. 238 Throughout his career in Congress, Frank sought ways to compromise while inching his agenda forward. “My public life had been one long trade-off.” P. 341 Was this an effective strategy? 5. How did Frank’s life change when he “came out” in 1987? 6. Why is same-sex marriage important? 7. Frank admired politicians whose opposition to him was based more on public opinion rather than on principle, P. 234. What does this indicate about Frank’s values? This selection was inspired by the Museum's current Annual Reminder-themed installation, The Pursuit of Happiness: Jewish Voices for LGBT Rights. .

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