An Ohio University student has been charged with sending herself homophobic threats which she used to campaign against hate towards the LGBTQ community.

Anna Ayers, 21, is said to have sent herself three notes which she claimed she found in her desk at the Student Senate and at home last month. One contained a death threat, local newspaper The Post reported.

Ayers gave them to university police and said she had been left feeling 'frustrated' by them.

She did not reveal what they said but indicated they were homophobic and later used them as the underpinning of inspirational messages she posted on social media.

Anna Ayers, 21, has been charged with three counts of making a false alarm for telling police she received homophobic threats last month which they say she sent herself

Ayers, pictured giving a speech on October 3 at the Student Senate, used the threats to inspire others to 'be themselves' without fear of harassment

On Monday, she was arrested by Ohio University Police Department for making a false alarm.

The campus police are yet to reveal what led them to believe that she sent them to herself.

In a statement, the department said only: 'Subsequent investigation by OUPD found that Ayers had placed the messages herself, prior to reporting them.'

The student senate stood behind her after she reported the notes and said that it believed they were sent by another member.

On social media, Ayers invoked the threats to campaign against hatred.

She thanked her fellow students and friends for their support, and said: 'It's not always easy to stand up to hate, ignorance and discrimination but it is time for all of us to live every day willing to take that stand.

'And finally, more than anything: BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE.'

After her arrest on Monday, she deleted her Twitter account and any other accounts she held.

She did not appear in court on Thursday but pleaded not guilty through an attorney to three counts of making false alarms.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.