One boy may not have been able to stop a mob of 11,000 anti-LGBTQ protesters in their tracks, but he is making the world pay attention. The crowds were in response to a move by Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto to legalize same-sex marriage in the country.
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But as protesters made their way through the streets of Celaya, Guanajuato, a 12-year-old boy walked out in to the middle of the street and held his arms out to his side.
Reporter Manuel Rodriguez is credited with taking the photo of the boy. While the march of progress happens in the courts and opposition reigns in the streets, a photo of a lone boy standing for equality has become a symbol for the movement.
According to The Huffington Post, Rodriguez originally thought the unnamed boy was “just playing” when he photographed him, however the boy soon after told Regeneración his reason for being there was very serious: “I have an uncle that is gay, and I don’t like people hating him”.
That wasn’t the case, as it turned out.
Many have noted that the photo of the boy resembles the “tank man” image shot in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, Rodríguez said.
Despite the protests led by the likes of Frente Nacional por la Familia (National Front for the Family), President Nieto has continued to back same-sex marriage.
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Same-sex marriage is now permitted in several states across Mexico, including Mexico City, but opposition to nationwide legalisation has been strong. Supporters for same-sex marriage marched on Monday, stated Mashable.
