National news in brief

Art depicting Jesus having oral sex draws ire

LOVELAND, Colo. — Christians in Loveland, Colo., are disturbed by a multi-paneled art exhibit on display there that depicts Jesus receiving oral sex. The exhibit is funded by the city of Loveland, according to media reports. Some Christian groups are protesting the exhibit and have pressured the city to pull the work in question, a collaboration among 10 artists called “The Legend of Bud Shark and His Indelible Ink.” It’s a color lithograph by artist Enrique Chagoya.

A female truck driver vandalized the art in question this week by smashing through a glass exhibit it was behind with a crowbar.

Westboro protest case before U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — One of the many funeral protests conducted by anti-gay Kansas church Westboro Baptist has resulted in a lawsuit from the family of a fallen U.S. Marine who died in Iraq that will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, according to reports from several major media outlets.

The case stems from a March, 2006 protest — typical for Westboro members — at the funeral of slain Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who’d been killed in the line of duty at age 20 in Iraq. Westboro members protest at the funerals of fallen U.S. troops with outrageous signs that extol their belief that God is punishing the country for accepting gays. Many free speech advocates have stood up for the protesters while distancing themselves from their message.

Both sides will receive a Supreme Court hearing over their competing constitutional rights. Oral arguments were set to begin this week. A ruling will likely be months away.

Political donations hurt Target, Best Buy in HRC ratings

WASHINGTON — Three companies that previously had perfect scores from the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights organization that ranks companies based on how gay-friendly they are in multiple areas, saw their ratings plummet this year after donations to MN Forward, a political group that supports Republican Tom Emmer’s camaign for Minnesota governor.

HRC’s annual Corporate Equality Index — this year’s version was released this week — found Target, Best Buy and 3M (which made a $100,000 donation to MN Forward Sept. 10) lose 15 points, going from 100 on last year’s scorecard to 85 this year.

HRC commented on the scores in its report.

“Following significant public outcry and several weeks of good faith efforts to assist the companies with a solution, neither company has taken any corrective action,” HRC wrote.