Washington, DC – Today, Equality PAC released the following statement on the death of former Congressman and Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Barney Frank.
“Barney Frank was more than a Member of Congress, he was a trailblazer, a fighter, and one of the defining voices for equality and justice in modern American politics,” said Equality PAC Co-Chairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY). “There are only a handful of people who can truly be called legends in Congress, and Barney was unquestionably one of them. His advocacy for the LGBTQ community was fearless and unmatched. At a time when being openly gay in public office came with enormous personal and political risk, Barney chose courage. He paved the way for generations of LGBTQ leaders and activists by proving that authenticity and public service could go hand in hand. As one of the founding Equality Caucus Members, Barney helped plant the seeds for what Equality PAC has become today. His leadership and belief in building political power for our community laid the foundation for countless LGBTQ candidates and advocates to step forward and serve openly and proudly. His legacy will live on not only in the laws he helped shape, but in the people he inspired, the barriers he broke, and the movement he helped build.”
Congressman Barney Frank was first elected to Congress in 1981 from Massachusetts, and in 1987, became the first Member of Congress to come out publicly. He served until early 2013 when he retired from public service. In Congress, he rose to become the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, where he became the first openly LGBTQ chair of any House committee.
Equality PAC’s primary mission is simple: to elect more LGBTQ+ persons to Congress — individuals who will have a seat at the table, impact the debate, and humanize the LGBTQ community’s concerns. Beyond this goal, Equality PAC also supports strong LGBTQ community allies who will proudly and unapologetically stand with us in the fight to pass the Equality Act and equal protection under our nation’s laws. All funds that Equality PAC raises are directed to re-elect and expand our small – but mighty – LGBTQ caucus and to elect a pro-Equality Majority in the House of Representatives.
Today, Equality PAC remains the only identity PAC that financially supports every Frontline Member and Red2Blue candidate because we know that without pro-Equality majorities, the progress our community has made and the civil rights and equal protections we have fought so hard for – and are still fighting for every day – remain in jeopardy.
In the short time that Equality PAC has existed, it has played an unmatched role in making history for the LGBTQ community, electing LGBTQ leaders at the federal level such as current House Members Sharice Davis (Kansas); Ritchie Torres (New York); Becca Balint (Vermont); Robert Garcia (California); Eric Sorensen (Illinois); Angie Craig (Minnesota); and Chris Pappas (New Hampshire).
And in the most recent elections, Equality PAC notched three huge historic wins: in TX-32 with Julie Johnson who made history as the first openly LGBTQ person ever elected to Congress from Texas or the South; in WA-06 with Emily Randall who made history as the first ever queer Latina elected to Congress and the first LGBTQ Member from Washington state; and with DE state Senator Sarah McBride in DE-AL as the first trans person ever elected to Congress.
With their elections, we have DOUBLED the number of LGBTQ women in the House from 3 to 6. And for the first time ever – there is parity within the LGBTQ caucus with 6 women and 6 men serving together in the House. This is an incredible accomplishment. On top of this, 5 of the 12 LGBTQ persons serving right now in the House are persons of color. These are incredible accomplishments for our community and its representation in Congress
Equality PAC has grown exponentially since its founding by Congressman Mark Takano and former Congressman (now Governor) Jared Polis in 2014 – when we raised $32,000 from some very loyal and trusting friends who took a chance on us and the experiment we were at the time. Today, we are extraordinarily grateful to have deeply committed and generous supporters in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico – and throughout the grassroots, labor, and business communities.
In total, during the 2023-24 election cycle, we raised and spent an impressive $23.4m for Equality PAC and direct contributions for our endorsed Members and candidates, state Party funds, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and independent expenditure efforts. As we look to the 2026 election and possible opportunities – particularly in potential open House and Senate seat races – we anticipate making even more history and growing the LGBTQ House Caucus deeper into double digits and electing at least two new LGBTQ Senators.