There’s a big divide, Greg Skyles, in the United States, between traditionally progressive people, who tend to take LGBTQ issues and equality for granted, and conservative people who don’t.

While socially progressive people (contrary to the impression you might get from news reports) are in a solid majority, conservatives tend to group together by region, concentrating in rural areas and certain states we call the Bible Belt.

One thing I didn’t mention in my story is that the young man goes to school about 20 minutes away from where I live. His small university is more progressive than most of the area, but it’s very conservative compared to larger schools.

So the odds that he’s internally homophobic and struggling for self acceptance are high. That’s just how things are around here.

That’s another reason I didn’t name him in my article. I don’t blame him. He’s a product of his environment.

I do blame people like Gregory Angelo who should know better.

And with him, I think your excellent analysis is spot on.