Austin Rodriguez, a student at Wellsville High School, is in a medically-induced coma at Akron Children's Hospital after an intentional overdose on prescription pills.

His family and friends believe Rodriguez, who is openly gay, was bullied by his classmates.

"He's openly homosexual," said Rodriguez's stepfather Sean Scott. "I think that has a lot to do with it. He doesn't hide it."

Scott and several of Rodriguez's friends and family gathered in a Wellsville city park Wednesday night to make an organized stand against bullying in schools.

"We want to keep fighting for it," said Charles Franklin, who organized the rally. "My kids have been bullied before and I want it to stop. It should have never gotten this far."

Rodriguez's mother told NEWS9 the boy intentionally overdosed on prescription medication he takes for the treatment of bipolar disorder Friday night. She was home at the time, but had already gone to bed. She awoke to find the boy staggering around the house.

She rushed him to the emergency room at East Liverpool Hospital. He was taken later to Akron Childrens' where he remains in intensive care and on a ventilator with damage to his lungs. She said the level of damage to his brain won't be determined until he is taken out of his medically-induced coma.

Friends and family described the teen as quiet, reserved and accepting. Friends attending the rally said they knew he'd been the target of disturbing comments but did not realize how badly it had hurt him.

"I never expected this out of Austin," said Taylor Cameron, who identified herself as Rodriguez's best friend. "Austin was always the one to tell you to keep your head up and move on. This is definitely the last thing I expected."

Scott said he was unaware of the teen's struggles, but was encouraged by the posters offering support and the petitions for stricter bullying prevention.

"The support from this community is just amazing," said Scott. "I'm proud to be from such a great place. Everybody is stepping up to the plate for somebody they don't even know."

Scott offered advice to all parents.

"Watch your children, please. I don't want to see this happen to anyone else."