Photographer Who Took Iconic Image of 12 Year Old Stopping Anti-Gay Protestors Gets Death Threats

What a World

Photojournalist Manuel Rodríguez says he’s now the target of death threats and homophobic slurs for taking what has become an iconic photo of a 12-year old boy in Mexico stopping anti-gay protestors at a march opposing same-sex marriage. Rodríguez snapped the image earlier this month, and it went viral after being published by Regeneracion.

“I got a call on Tuesday calling me a faggot, telling me that I’m going to pay for photographing the march,” Rodríguez told Universal, according to the UK publication Gay Times. He’s also been getting threatening letters and phone calls at his home.

The 12-year old boy, who has chosen to remain anonymous, had told Rodríguez why he decided to literally take a stand: “I have an uncle who is gay and I hate the hatred.”

The image shows the young man standing in front of cars and a crowd of about 11,000 marchers, who came together to oppose Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s proposed constitutional reforms that would allow same-sex couples to marry. The rally-goers, members of the National Front for the Family, were organized by the Catholic Church in Mexico.

Rodríguez’s photo is being compared to the also iconic “tank man” photo taken in 1989 in Beijing.

 

Image © 2016 Manuel Rodríguez