Rep. Barney Frank to marry longtime partner

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retiring Rep. Barney Frank, a gay pioneer in Congress, said today that he will marry his longtime partner, Jim Ready.

Frank spokesman Harry Gural said the liberal Massachusetts Democrat's wedding will be in his home state, but that no date had been set.

Ready, 42, lives in Ogunquit, Maine. He has a small business doing custom awnings, carpentry, painting, welding and other general handyman services, Gural said. Ready is also a photographer. The two men have been together since spring 2007.

Frank, 71, was attending a retreat Thursday with other House Democrats on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

During an appearance on PBS' "The Charlie Rose Show" earlier this month, Frank said he was looking forward to leaving Congress and spending time with Ready.

"Look, I have a partner now, Jim Ready; I have an emotional attachment. I`m in love for the first time in my life," Frank said on the show.