Barney Frank: Beto O’Rourke ‘May Be Regretting That He’s Straight’

Barney Frank (D., Mass.), the former congressman whose live-in personal aide ran a male escort service out of their Washington, D.C., apartment in the 1980s, recently weighed in on the success of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is vying to become the first openly gay president in history.

In an interview with the Boston Globepublished on Friday, Frank said Buttigieg's sexuality was "an advantage" that has helped him stand out in a crowded Democratic primary field dominated by straight white men. "If he were straight, I don't think he would be doing as well," Frank said.

Frank even suggested that Buttigieg's rivals might be wishing they were gay, because it would allow voters to signal their lack of bigotry by supporting them. "It attracts attention to [Buttigieg] and he gets points for being open and honest and gives people a chance to affirm their lack of prejudice," Frank said. "I think Beto O’Rourke may be regretting that he’s straight."

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