Barney Frank

Well, it really even began in 1973.

And I've noted this.

I began lobbying for the gay rights bill.

As we then called it, there was just the one name.

And people would be very open and say, hey, pal, are you kidding?

I'm not going to have some d*** in my store.

So, yeah, it was unrestrained.

And then in 1981, the first issue I dealt with in Congress, the District of Columbia had repealed its criminal law against sodomy, against people of the same sex having sex.

voluntary sex with each other.

And at that time, there was a rule that either House of Congress could pass a law and cancel anything in the criminal area that the District of Columbia did.

And the House passed that, canceling it by a three-to-one margin.

Even many Democrats voted against it.

I got barely a majority of Democrats.

And when I went around lobbying, it was, again, oh, these people are disgusting.

Are you kidding, pal?

What they do?

Oh, that turns my stomach.

I can't allow that to happen.

Look, when you're in a legislative body, you try to win the argument on the easiest grounds to win the argument.

Obviously, I disagreed with the moral disapproval, but it was unnecessary for me to win that one.