Scroll To Top
World

A Frank Legacy: Most Quotable Moments

A Frank Legacy: Most Quotable Moments

1frankleadart

Barney Frank's career in the House of Representatives should be remembered in part for its bluntness. Not only did Frank become the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out, but he's also left a trail of memorable statements that others might have kept to themselves.

Here's a list of some of our favorites. But we couldn't have possibly remembered all of the Massachusetts lawmaker's best one-liners. If you have a story about Frank's frankness, please feel free to add to his greatest hits in the comments section below. --Lucas Grindley

(RELATED: Barney Frank Announces Why He's Leaving the House)

Barney Frank's town hall manner
"Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table," he told a constituent who had compared President Obama to Hitler.

After Rep. Dick Armey called him "Barney Fag"
"I don't think it was on the tip of his tongue, but I do believe it was in the back of his mind," Frank said after Armey claimed he misspoke. "There are a lot of ways to mispronounce my name. That is the least common."

Predicting the Tea Party's future
After Frank was called gay slurs by Tea Party protesters, he summed up its supporters in one line: "Any movement in which the intellectual leader is Michele Bachmann is obviously going to be problematic."

Segregated Showers?
Conservative interviewer makes mistake of asking Barney Frank whether gays should shower with straights in the military.
"What do you think goes wrong with people showering with homosexuals? Do you think it's the spray makes it catching? ... We don't get ourselves dry-cleaned. We tend to take showers."

Frank walks off a live interview
"You don't like what I'm saying -- you can find someone else to interview."

A punch line for a comedian
Frank relished his visit with comedian Kathy Griffin, who demanded he repeal DADT immediately. "She asked me if I would do it, and if you say no, then you get demonized as someone who is afraid. So she came to my office and said, 'I demand that you pass the repeal -- don't ask, don't tell -- by tomorrow, and if not, it will be a bitter pill.' I said, 'Well, it won't be the only pill you swallow this week, I'm sure.'"

Another Dick Armey fight
In response to a reporter's question, Armey said, "Yes, I am Dick Armey, and if there was a dick army, Barney Frank would want to join up." Frank said the remark was a "crude, silly, juvenile jibe." But when asked if wanted an apology, Frank said, "I'm trying to think of what I would be less interested in than an apology from Dick Armey -- maybe the lyrics to the national anthem of Bhutan."

Delicately addressing some rumors
Why was Rep. David Dreier passed over for Republican House Majority Leader? Republicans said publicly that Dreier was too "moderate" to lead the party, but rumors about his sexuality were swirling. And so Frank said Dreier was too moderate "in the sense that I marched in the Moderate Pride Parade last summer and went to a moderate bar."

What does Frank think of Newt Gingrich?
Gingrich had suggested Frank was to blame for the financial crisis and should be arrested, which led Frank to describe the potential Republican nominee as the "self-styled intellectual leader of the free world."

A Frank evaluation of the national equality march
"All that's going to pressure is the grass," Frank said, warning marchers that their actions would have little actual effect on Congress.

Frank's agenda
He reacted to the passage of a hate-crimes bill and repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" by embracing the radical gay agenda he's accused of peddling. "For those who are worried about the radical homosexual agenda, let me put them on notice. Two down, two to go."

Barney Frank versus Bill O'Reilly
This match was made for watching.

World
Be sure to follow Advocate on your favorite social platform

Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?

Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!

Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!


APPLE STORE - GOOGLE PLAY

ROKU - APPLE TV - FIRE TV - GOOGLE TV

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
Politics
Badge
gallery

Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?

Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Lopez, Busy Phillips, with their trans and non binary children
Family
Badge
gallery

17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids

Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
News
Badge
gallery

Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.

Just Which State Is the Gayest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ Peoplee
News
Badge
gallery

Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People

Capitol and also the Senate seal
Politics

These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite

Bob Mizer Foundation - Kickstarter
Photography
Badge
gallery

10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films

Iowa Capitol Building Progress Pride Flag LGBTQ Rights
Politics
Badge
gallery

These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People

Here are the 15 gayest cities in the world for 2024
News

Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report

King James I Queen Anne Prince George Duke of Kent Diana, Princess of Wales
History
Badge
gallery

13 LGBTQ+ British Royals in History

True

Latest Stories

Advocate.com Editors

Read Full Bio