If activists, like Michael Petrelis and other Castro frequenters, really wanted to focus attention on a part of the world where gays are suffering, maybe they could take a look at Iraq. Because this is, for lack of a better word, depressing. It's unreal but all too real. Iraqi gays will be "executed in batches" this week, convicted of the crime of being queer. UK Gay News has the details.

More than 100 prisoners in Iraq are facing execution - and many of them are believed to have been convicted of the 'crime' of being gay, the UK-based Iraqi-LGBT group revealed this afternoon.

According to Ali Hili of Iraqi-LGBT, the Iraqi authorities plan to start executing them in batches of 20 from this week. There is, said Mr. Hili, at least one member of Iraqi-LGBT who are among those to be put to death.