***BREAKING NEWS*** Barney Frank Passed At 86

[DemocratSinceBirth]

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Barney was 'frank' alright

That was his most endearing quality.

[spooky3]

2. Condolences to his family. Nt

[lamp_shade]

3. Rest, Barney.

[PCIntern]

4. May his Memory always be for a blessing.

As I posted some weeks ago, I knew him personally from an organization of which I was a member which worked in concert with him in the 1980’s to free Jewish dentists who wished to emigrate to America or Israel from the Soviet Union. He was sincere and dedicated. We were quite successful considering the atmosphere in those days.

[sheshe2]

5. RIP, Barney Frank.

[sheshe2]

6. RIP, Barney Frank.

[TBF]

7. A champion of gay and women's rights --

obit from the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/us/politics/barney-frank-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.j1A.Ozpu.qD72kT8WjGEL&smid=url-share

[Quiet Em]

8. "The Moral Majority supports legislators who oppose abortions but also oppose child nutrition and day care.

From their perspective, life begins at conception and ends at birth." - Barney Frank

RIP

[Walleye]

28. "Moral majority" which is neither

[2naSalit]

9. ...

[dawn5651]

10. rest in peace

[NoSheep]

11. Rest in Peace Barney Frank

[Clouds Passing]

12. Barney

[ms liberty]

13. RIP, Barney.

[orleans]

14. ...

from cnn:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/20/politics/barney-frank-former-congressman

Barney Frank, liberal icon who regulated a ‘too big’ financial industry, dies at 86


Barney Frank, the barrier-breaking former Congressman who helped draft reforms that sought to rein in an unruly financial industry in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, has died. He was 86.

His sister Doris Breay confirmed his death to CNN, saying, “he was a wonderful brother. I was lucky to be his sister. I will miss him.”

Frank entered hospice care earlier this year where he underwent treatment for congestive heart failure, according to media reports.

The former congressman built a reputation on Capitol Hill for being an outspoken progressive stalwart. He was also the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay. Frank’s decision to publicly disclose his sexuality in 1987 made him the most prominent gay man in Washington during the height of the AIDS epidemic.

more at link

[cachukis]

15. Saddened. Memorably great.

[Ford_Prefect]

16. Goodbye to a great and good man.

[mobeau69]

17. May he RIP. 🕯️

[QueerDuck]

18. Rest in Peace Barney... 🌈🏳️‍🌈💕😢 and Thank You! 🍷

[MustLoveBeagles]

20. I always liked him

[MustLoveBeagles]

19. Cross gently Mr. Frank

You were an inspiration to so many.

[angrychair]

21. The guy that, essentially, made his last act

To attack the Democratic Party. I have no ill will but it's not a good look for Party unity and gives Republicans ammunition to attack us with in social media.

For context for people not aware, his last book was "The Hard Path to Unity: Why We Must Reform the Left to Rescue Democracy" in which he wants to pull the Party more to the center and contends that progressives are destroying the Democratic Party.

[Nixie]

32. "gives Republicans ammunition to attack us"

That was also ironically Barney Frank’s message.

[ShazzieB]

47. I'm sorry to hear that he went the direction he did in this upcoming book.

It doesn't sound great, on the face of it. It won't be out until September, but from what I can tell right now, I'm pretty sure I'm going to disagree with a lot of it. But even so, I'm not going to dunk on him for writing a book he must have known would be controversial when his health was failing and he didn't know how much time he had left. I can't fault him for wanting to get his two cents in while he was still capable of it.

Whatecer I may think about what he says in this book, it sounds to me like he wrote it out of genuine concern for the party's future, and I can respect that, even while disagreeing with him about what needs to be done. I'm actually pretty impressed that that he managed to write this book and get it almost to the point of publication when he was in what must have been a pretty advanced stage of heart failure. That says a lot to me about how important he felt it was, and I can't help but respect him for seeing it through.

Furthermore, the content of this upcoming book does not erase what he accomplished and stood for during his active political life, and I will continue to respect and appreciate those things. RIP, Barney. Nobody's perfect, not even you. And that's okay.

[progressoid]

52. Yeah, that was

well...unexpected.

[angrychair]

22. A state that elected Kay Ivey

Will absolutely elect a former college football coach. I'm not saying Doug Jones couldn't pull off a win, I'm just saying those people are idiots and do not vote in their own best interests.

[Greybnk48]

23. I loved this guy. Sorry to hear he's gone. RIP

And condolences to Barney Frank's family, especially his husband.

[JoseBalow]

24. Sad news. I wish there were more like Barney

Thank you for caring, Barney.

[Wiz Imp]

25. He was one of the great ones!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

26. May he rest in peace

Last edited Wed May 20, 2026, 01:17 PM - Edit history (1)

I was a member of the Texas Clinton delegation to the 2016 National Convention. The Texas delegation was seated directly behind the Massachusetts delegation. Senator Warren was seated two rows ahead of me. I remember shaking the hand of Congressman Franks at the convention. It was a honor to shake his hand.

[Buzz cook]

27. My sympathy to his family and friends.

Barney was mostly OK.

[mwmisses4289]

29. R.I.P. Mr. Frank

[Mad_Dem_X]

30. RIP, Mr. Frank.

[Nixie]

31. RIP to a man who always fought hard for our party.

Thank you for your service in office, Mr. Frank.

[SheltieLover]

33. Rest in power, Barney

[Ilsa]

34. I remember reading a few weeks ago that he was in hospice.

Hugs and prayers to those close to him. I hope his passing was easy. He was a tremendous Democrat.

[Totally Tunsie]

35. Thank you, Barney, for your many years of working for equality in our nation.

Your service has been appreciated and worthwhile.

Rest in peace.

[EnergizedLib]

36. R.I.P.

[Festivito]

37. Here's clarity continues to be missed.

My very best to those who miss him most.

[AllaN01Bear]

39. ""

[Liberal In Texas]

40. Rest easy now, Barney.

You had a heck of a run.

RIP

[sinkingfeeling]

41. R.I.P.

[wendyb-NC]

42. R.I.P. Rep. Frank

Condolences, to your loved ones.

[BidenRocks]

43. Barney, you were special.

You made change!

[BaronChocula]

44. Loved his audacity

An unabashed liberal who never felt obliged to mitigate his liberal bonafides to appease anyone. Instead he always had an answer for conservative bullshit to which their only response was to cut his mic.

[Figarosmom]

45. Rest in Peace 😪

[hlthe2b]

46. I hope he passed gently... RIP, Barney Frank...

I didn't always agree with you, but we were on the "right" (correct) side together.

[mzmolly]

48. :(

[BlueAJ]

49. And without ever seeing discrimination outlawed at the federal level

I remember him addressing the 1993 gay March On Washington telling us we were turning the corner and the non-discrimination legislation would be federal law in a couple of years. Still waiting...

[AdamGG]

50. He was my Congressman for many years

When I lived in Brookline, MA. He didn't just stand up for issues that mattered, he always brought a wit and intelligence that enlivened the discussion and called out deceptive tactics by the other side.

One funny line from early in his career, I think he was serving on the Boston City Council at the time (though it could be something else), but they were discussing initial proposals for "The Big Dig" to move the elevated I-93 underground through the heart of Boston. When costs were quoted, which were a small fraction of what the project actually ended up actually costing, Barney said, "why don't they just raise the city?"

His wit was entertaining, but it also frequently highlighted the absurdity of those on the other side. We could use a lot more Barney Franks.

RIP

[tonekat]

51. Threw trans people under the bus. N/T

[calimary]

53. Thank you, Barney Frank, for everything you did for the greater good!

You’ll never be forgotten.

[Warpy]

55. I remember him in the Mass. lege

and no one else has ever been able to skewer a conservative as well as Frank did.

Thanks for your years of service to the people of eastern Mass. both state wide and then in Washington. You will be missed.