Barney Frank Pulls No Punches

[DonViejo]

Eleanor Clift

The former Massachusetts congressman didn’t call his new memoir Frank for nothing. He dishes to The Daily Beast about Hillary, Aaron Schock, outing himself, and more.

Barney Frank has a new memoir, Frank: A Life in Politics From the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage. In the book, which was published this week, he writes about his 40-year career in politics and the societal changes that allowed him to survive and eventually thrive as a gay man.

Eleanor Clift interviewed him in Washington this week. He spoke candidly about Hillary Clinton’s chances in the 2016 presidential race, the resignation of Representative Aaron Schock over ethics charges and amid rumors that he is gay, and reflected on the sex scandal that resulted in Congress reprimanding him in 1987, killing his chances of ever becoming the first Jewish Speaker of the House.

Q: In your book, you write about the fear of exposure (as a formerly closeted gay man). We have a current example with Representative Aaron Schock—there seems to be a lot of vitriol against him in the gay community.

A: Here’s the deal, I don’t know if he’s gay or not, but I admit I did say if he’s not gay he spends an awful lot of time in the gym. I don’t know a lot of straight guys who go to the gym and parade around with their shirts off. Generally gay men do that to attract other men. There is a principle that I take credit for enunciating a long time ago: There is a right to privacy but not a right to hypocrisy. You have every right to privacy but you do not have a right to go into public office or any other office and enforce rules that are against your own behavior. During Prohibition the media would hide the fact that prohibitioners were drinkers. What I would say to people is, if a leading anti-abortionist had an abortion, you’d write about it. If Sarah Brady owned an Uzi, you’d write about it—especially now. Maybe 40 years ago—coming out, what a terrible thing. But there is no justification now if you’re gay punishing other gay people for what you’re doing. I don’t know if he is, but that’s the basis for the anger.

All the clues you look for in guessing whether someone is gay—press accounts noted he flew his photographer to India, It’s kind of the modern version of the confirmed bachelor.

Here’s the deal: Your horror is based on the idea that being gay is so horrible, you can’t mention it. Let’s stop treating gay as though we’re accusing him of being a mass murderer.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/19/barney-frank-pulls-no-punches.html