christian grantham
Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD.
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March 13, 2005

When Religious Law Rules

Homosexuality is a criminal offence in Saudi Arabia, a deeply conservative Muslim kingdom which implements a strict version of Sharia Islamic law. Convicted murderers, rapists and drug traffickers are usually executed in public.

The ministry said the two men were executed in the northern town of Arar, close to the border with Iraq.

Saudi Arabia has put to death at least 21 people so far this year. At least 35 people were executed last year and 53 in 2003.
[Saudi Executes Gay Lovers for Killing Pakistani - Reuters - 03-13-05]

The Episcopal Church was thrown out of a key council of the worldwide Anglican Communion last month over the ordination of an openly gay man as a bishop. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the 77 million-strong denomination, has said the issue threatens to tear the church apart.

The Methodists, Presbyterians and Lutherans, all of whom have made recent statements or are about to do so, are troubled by the idea of rejecting gay members but cannot bring themselves to full acceptance. Catholics, Mormons, most Baptists and evangelical Christians all reject sexually active gay people, in spite of currents within those churches urging greater acceptance.
[Gays seek place in religious life - Arizona Republic - 03-13-05]

On Thursday, the Alabama Senate approved Sen. Hinton Mitchem's bill to amend the Alabama Constitution by adding a ban on same-sex marriage. Like all proposed constitutional amendments, it must be approved by voters in a referendum.

Proponents of the measure say that such a ban would affirm the traditional view of marriage as being solely between a man and a woman. Opponents believe it discriminates against gays and could promote violence against the gay and lesbian community.
[Same sex ban bound for vote - Montgomery Advertiser - 03-13-05]

The risk is stark: Meth is a highly addictive, sex-enhancing stimulant that dissolves inhibitions. If infected gay men become users and abandon safe sex, cases of HIV/AIDS could multiply with potentially devastating results.

"When men with HIV take meth, they're not taking [AIDS] medications as prescribed ... and [are] transmitting the virus to others who are not infected," said Dr. Dan Berger, medical director at North Star Health Care, the largest private HIV treatment center in Chicago. "It's an unprecedented problem."
[Meth use adds to ravages of AIDS - Chicago Tribune - 03-13-05]