Thousands Of Anti-Gay Protesters Stood Up To By One Brave 12-Year-Old Boy

An image of a 12-year-old boy courageously attempting to block an anti-LGBTQ parade in Mexico is going viral.

The brave young man stood in the middle of the road with his arms outstretched, defiantly facing 11,000 people marching to protest same-sex marriage in Celaya, Guanajuato.

This protest, among others that occurred across Mexico over the weekend for the same reason, was inspired by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto's efforts to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.

At the moment, same-sex marriage is only legal in Mexico City and nine of Mexico's 31 states, the LA Times reports.

Journalist Manuel Rodríguez captured the powerful image of the 12-year-old boy and published it in the Mexican publication, Regeneración.

At first, Rodríguez thought the boy was just playing. Eventually, however, he spoke to him and found out his motives were far from a child's game.

According to a translation from the Huffington Post of the Regeneración article that featured the image, the young man told Rodríguez,

I have an uncle that is gay, and I don't like people hating him.

The remarkable young man might have just been one against thousands, but sometimes that's all it takes to change the world.

People won't remember the thousands protesting against gay marriage, they'll remember the fearless boy who said no to hate. This is why love wins.

Citations: Stunning Photo Shows Boy Standing Up To Thousands Of Anti-Gay Protesters (Huffington Post)