Culture

Chris Brown: ‘Love is not a crime. Gay or straight. Love who you want to love’

Oct 02 2013
Written by Joseph McCormick

Singer Chris Brown, who has in the past been accused of being party to homophobia towards other RnB artists, has taken to Twitter to voice his support for people of all sexualities.

Brown tweeted the message of support for “Love… gay or straight”, and a link to an AllOut petition calling on the government of Cameroon to stop the rise in anti-gay violence.

He later retweeted a message from the Elton John Aids foundation.

Love is not a crime. Gay or straight. Love who u wanna love. Stop the hate & sign here https://t.co/LAdsuz2iaf #Unity

— Chris Brown (@chrisbrown) October 1, 2013

Brown surprised fans back in June by starting the Unity Campaign, which vows to stand up for equality, for gay people, and other minority groups.

Some were surprised by the announcement, as in the past the star has been criticised for run-ins with other celebrities, and for being party to anti-gay slurs.

Bisexual R&B star Frank Ocean, Chris Brown and their associates allegedly got into an altercation earlier this year, in which someone in Brown’s group is said to have called Ocean a “faggot“.

Brown caused controversy at the Grammy Awards by remaining the only seated audience-member during a standing ovation given to Ocean when he received his award.

Cameroon last month rejected the United Nations Human Rights Council’s recommendation that it decriminalise homosexuality.

Under section 347 of the penal code, those found guilty of same-sex sexual acts in Cameroon face up to five years imprisonment.

In July, prominent Cameroonian gay rights and HIV campaigner Eric Ohena Lembembe was brutally murdered in his home, just days after speaking out against increasing violence against the country’s LGBT community.

One of his friends reported that his neck and feet had been broken, and that he had been burnt with an iron.