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Barney Frank engaged to Jim Ready
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. gestures during his news conference on his retirement, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(Credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)Barney Frank, a longtime Massachusetts congressman, is engaged to marry his boyfriend Jim Ready, the congressman's office confirmed on Thursday to CBS News.
The couple will tie the knot in a Massachusetts ceremony at a time yet to be determined. Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004.
Ready, 42, is a small business owner and photographer. The couple has been together since 2007.
Frank, 71, announced late last year that he will not run for re-election to Congress, where he has been serving Massachusetts' 4th district since 1981.
A liberal voice in Washington and staunch gay rights advocate, the candidate has cited Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich as the "ideal opponent" for advancing the cause of same-sex marriage.
The thrice-married Gingrich, he said, is "an ideal opponent for us when we talk about just who it is threatening the sanctity of marriage."
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Lucy Madison Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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