The Hill News

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was awarded Wednesday night for his work on equal rights, as he noted the great strides the gay community has made over the years, including President Obama's public acceptance of gay marriage.

Frank said it was striking how far gay rights have come since he first ran for office as a closeted homosexual in 1981. Now, things have reached the point where he was being asked "if, as a sitting member of Congress, I was going to invite the president of the United States to my wedding to the man I love."

He added that, to avoid onerous security, Obama was not being invited.

"The Secret Service can really ruin a party," he joked. "Even though I'm not running for reelection, I'm not prepared to piss off everybody in the city I live in."

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights awarded Frank with its Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award, the movement's highest honor.

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