HOUSTON — A Kingwood family said they're being terrorized at their own home due to a flag they have flying outside their house.
It's not the flag, in particular, that's causing them to be targeted, rather, it's what the flag represents.
They said they fly the LGBTQ flag to show support for their children, but it has instead led to attacks, vandalism and name-calling by a gaggle of teens.
They said the harassment is consistent and has turned violent lately. Some of the acts have been caught on video.
They hung the flag up in October and since then, the retaliation has evolved from bullying to physical violence.
Dr. Luisa Montoya said the escalating situation is very concerning.
"We put the gay flag and that's when the nightmare began," she said.
Montoya is the mother of a 12-year-old trans boy and a 17-year-old who's non-binary. She fully supports them, but she said her neighborhood is not as accepting.
"I support them. I want them to be happy. I want them to be true to themselves," Montoya said. "It's very traumatizing, because as a mom, you're, like, 'what do I do?'"
She said the flag has fueled hate in a group of teenage boys who live in the neighborhood. She said the incidents started somewhat small -- they would ring her doorbell at all hours of the night and throw toilet paper in the trees in her front yard.
But last week, someone threw something through their window. When her 17-year-old went outside to investigate, Montoya said he was surrounded by a group of teens on bikes.
"You should have seen the joy that they have, like, calling him the F-slur word. Harassing him ... pushing him with their bikes," Montoya said.
She said she started filming when she and her 12-year-old were also attacked.
"He was pushing me but with everything that he has," she said.
She said they were cut and bruised in the attack. She called the police, but no charges have been filed. The Houston Police Department said, in part, that its Major Offenders Division is investigating.
"Many of the individuals involved are juveniles. Therefore, our detectives will present the case to a juvenile district attorney in the near future to determine if charges will be filed," HPD said.
Montoya said she knows who the teens are.
"They are part of a certain school, a certain golf club ... no one can touch them," she said.
Montoya said the boys returned that night and made more threats. She said they threatened to "bomb her house."
She said she's scared for the safety of herself and her kids. She wishes the world would see her children the way she does.