Chris Brown Announces Support of LGBT Rights Campaign

Some may be surprised to learn that R&B singer Chris Brown took to Twitter to show his support for a gay rights campaign that aims to bring human rights to the Central African country Cameroon, E! Online reports.

On Monday, that controversial musician took to Twitter to write about AllOut.org's petition urging Cameroon President Paul Biya and other lawmakers to stop anti-gay violence in the country.

As of this writing, the petition has more than 70,000 signatures and says, "Cameroon is starting to respond to international pressure to stop the rise of anti-gay violence in the country." The description adds that if the petition reaches 100,000 signatures it will be sent directly to the presidential palace.

In July, Eric Ohena Lembembe, a leading LGBT rights activist in Cameroon, was allegedly tortured and killed. The country's government officials, however, lashed out against the media for reporting the killing and and warned that future "provocative commentary" on the case would be outlawed, the Associated Press reported. Two weeks after Lembembe's death, the AP reported a court in Cameroon found two men guilty under the country's law banning gay sex. Being gay is punishable by up to five years in prison in Cameroon and according to local and international human rights groups, government officials have gone after LGBT people under the law, which dates back to 2005.

Apparently Brown, 24, was moved by the petition and alerted his more than 13 million Twitter followers about it.

"Love is not a crime," he tweeted on Sept. 30. "Gay or straight. Love who u wanna love. Stop the hate & sign here http://bit.ly/19BPAbF #Unity"

On early Wednesday Brown re-tweeted a tweet made by Elton Jon AIDS Foundation, which reads, "Everyone is entitled to dignity and respect. RT=Respect! #LoveIsInMyBlood."

The singer has made waves in the past for spewing anti-gay language. In 2010 he referred to a male member of the R&B group B2K as a "#homothug" on Twitter. Additionally, a year later, he hurled anti-gay slurs toward photographers whom he thought told police officers about his illegally parked car.

More recently, Brown has come under fire after R&B superstar Frank Ocean told authorities that Brown called him a "faggot" during a dispute in Los Angeles.

Brown became a household name in February 2009, when he made headlines after severely beating up then-girlfriend, Rihanna. Though many have a negative view on Brown, the singer has been apparently trying to change his image with the release of his single, the Aaliyah-sampling "Don't Think They Know," which addresses gun violence and gangs and will appear on his upcoming record "X."

This summer, Brown said his latest single, "Love More" was party of his "Unity Campaign." The campaign "encourages all races, genders, sexes, (everyone) gay or straight to love each other!" he wrote on Twitter, the Huffington Post reports.

"As a young inspiration to all types of people around the world, I have a moral obligation to let go of grudges or bs," he added.

Check out the awkward music video for "Don't Think They Know" below: