Viral Saudi Hashtag Calls for Equal Rights for the Kingdom's LGBTQ Community on Twitter

Conservative Saudis were in for a shocking surprise last weekend with a trending hashtag supporting LGBTQ rights in the Sharia-ruled kingdom. The hashtag roughly translates to "I love gay people and I'm not one." It reportedly became the number one trending hashtag in Saudi Arabia and the 4th in the world over last weekend, attracting a lot of supportive as well as homophobic tweets.

Here are some of the tweets that appeared on the hashtag:

My support litmus test:human?✔️. harming/endangering anyone?✖️➡️I support you #احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم pic.twitter.com/HFj92tsO0U

— Action Potential (@MsActionHerself) February 4, 2017

#احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم imagine that you know who you are and what you want then you find the whole world is attacking you for no reason

— Deena Ballerina (@deenaahmed669) February 3, 2017

#احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم #LoveIsLove

— buearDo (@baerrus) February 10, 2017

#احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم
I may be one of them and i may not
But I am proud that we will never say no to our freedom and being treated equally

— Adnan (@adnan_basager) February 4, 2017

الشذوذ الحقيقي هو حب الأطفال جنسيًا (البيدوفيليا) والزواج من القاصرات الصغيرات وليس علاقة بين راشدين بالتراضي. #احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم

— Samaa (@ii_ambitious) February 3, 2017

Translation: The real abnormality is paedophilia, not a relationship between consenting adults.

#احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم هم حقيقي ارهم غريبياً نوعاً ما لاكن ولا اتمنى ان يتم اذيتهم

— هند بنت عتبه (@past140) February 2, 2017

Translation: I find them weird but I don't wish any harm upon them.

#احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم ؛..الشواذ بعضهم يعاني من مرض "اضطراب الهوية الجنسية" وبعضهم لجذب الانتباة ، الاول يستحق العلاج والثاني يستحق العقاب

— #حسن_المحامض (@Waliam1992) February 3, 2017

Translation: Some gay people suffer from sexual identity disorder and others do it for attention. The first group deserves treatment and the second deserves punishment.

#احب_المثليين_ولست_منهم فئة تفرض على المجتمع مرضهم ويقولون ميول وحرية شخصيه هذا مرض نفسي صغار عقول واخذوا جوال حتى صار لهم مسمى غير"اللواط"

— ِ (@ll4iilii9) February 10, 2017

Translation: They are a segment of society who impose their 'sickness' on everyone and call it preference and personal freedom. They are a mentally disabled bunch with a cellphone.