U.S. Representative Barney Frank Visits the Jerusalem Open House
In January 2002, the Jerusalem Open House (JOH) was honored by a visit of U.S. Representative Barney Frank (Democrat - Massachusetts) and his partner. Congressperson Frank was in Israel for an official visit during which he met, among others, Israel’s Prime Minister, the President of the Palestinian Authority, and Israel’s President.
Congressperson Frank is well known as an openly gay representative fighting for LGBT rights. His support of the pioneering gay and lesbian center of Jerusalem began two years ago, when he participated in a JOH gala event in Washington, DC.
At the visit, Congressperson Frank praised the work being done at the Open House in promoting LGBT rights, particularly efforts towards including gay and lesbian persons of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. He strongly urged the Open House to actively pursue the political struggle for human rights, and cited the gay-friendly approach of the IDF as an example he would proudly use in his deliberations in the U.S. regarding a change in the U.S. military’s "Don’t ask, don’t tell" stance.