The Terrible Reason a 12-Year-Old Boy Had to Stand up to Thousands of Protesters
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A 12-year-old boy stood in the street to protest discrimination for a very important reason: He wanted to be a voice for his uncle.
A viral photo shows a Mexican boy standing in the middle of the street while thousands of anti-gay protesters march toward him in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico according to the Independent.
Journalist Manuel Rodriguez took the picture on Saturday and posted it to his Facebook page.
Facebook/Manuel Rodríguez - facebook.com
Rodriguez talked to the boy, who remains unnamed, about his motivation for standing in the street.
"I have an uncle that is gay and I don't like people hating him," said the boy according to Mexican publication Regeneracion.
The protesters, organized by the conservative Catholic organization National Front for the Family, were angry about Mexican President Enrique Nieto's proposed plan to change Mexico's constitution to make gay marriage legal nationwide, according to BBC News.
Right now gay marriage is only legal in the capital Mexico City and a few states.
On Sunday, gay rights supporters held counter protests. Some of the signs read "I respect your family, respect mine," according to the BBC News.
Some gay rights activists are questioning whether Nieto's support is actually helpful to their cause at this time. The president's approval ratings are falling, and he's dealing with a slowing economy, corruption scandals, drug-violence, and an unpopular visit by U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, according to the Guardian.
“I think it hurt us a lot for someone like him to get involved at that moment,” Cristian Galarza, outreach director of the Mexican Pride Front told Buzzfeed News.
Other advocates say that the anti-gay protests could be dangerous for the LGBT community. Andres Cruz, president of Comunidad Cultural de Tijuana LGBTI, told the San Francisco Examiner that the protesters “are creating hate, and this leads to physical aggression.”
