#ILoveGays has been trending in Saudi Arabia

The message of love and acceptance has gone viral in the notoriously homophobic Kingdom.

A person holds a rainbow flag during the Gay Pride Parade in San Salvador, El Salvador, on June 28, 2014. AFP PHOTO/ Jose CABEZAS

Source: AFP

Saudi Arabia is known as one of the world’s most anti-LGBT+ societies, yet an unlikely hashtag has been trending on Twitter in the country.

The sentence, احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم which means “I love gays and I’m not one of them” has been gaining traction and reached the number one trending spot this week.

The Kingdom condemns homosexuality, which can be punished by fines, imprisonment, torture and even death.
In 2016, it was reported that prosecutors in the country were pushing to enforce the death penalty for those who came out online, blaming social media for the “surge in abnormal behaviour”.
The hashtag has been used with words of support for the gay community in Saudi Arabia. One user wrote, “Hate against LGBTQ is not logical. How can you hate someone because they practising their human rights?”

Another said, “Take a look in this tag and get a glimpse of how tolerant & accepting & loving Saudis are.”


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Published 10 February 2017 11:16am
By Michaela Morgan


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