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. 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."