The Powerful Reason This Boy Stood Up Against Anti-LGBTQ Protesters

One boy's powerful move to promote tolerance and love is going viral. On Saturday, thousands of people marched throughout Mexico to protest President Enrique Peña Nieto's constitutional reform proposal to legalise same-sex marriage, the Los Angeles Times reported. While the anti-marriage-equality demonstration made headlines, many are now talking about the actions of a boy who took a brave stance against the protesters. In the city of Celaya, a 12-year-old was photographed standing in the middle of the streets with arms wide open, despite cars and thousands of people coming his way. "I have an uncle that is gay. And I don't like that they hate him," the boy told Manuel Rodríguez, the photographer who captured the stunning picture, according to the Mexican news outlet Regeneración. The picture went viral on social media, with many praising the boy's courage.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in 22 of Mexico's 31 states. The march was organised by the group Frente Nacional por la Familia (National Front for the Family). According to the organisation, more than 1 million people participated in protests in all 31 states.