 Barnett " Barney " Frank ( born March 31 , 1940 ) is a former American politician and board member of the New York @-@ based Signature Bank . He previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013 . As a member of the Democratic Party , he served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011 .
Frank is the first openly gay member of the United States Congress. He is also one of the most prominent supporters of LGBT rights in the United States.
Frank was born in Scranton , Pennsylvania ,