I won't speak to your story but that's not been my experience and yes, this is a conservative area. I'm left leaning but have friends on both sides of the aisle and of varying religions.
I did once get fired for admitting to being agnostic but I dismissed it as assholes, every area has assholes. By far most of the people I run with and encounter don't act like that.
go watch that and understand that conservative areas where BY FAR more supportive than New York.
This is a common trope amongst youtubers and they _consistently_ find that these conservative areas are more accepting than the liberal areas such as New York. And they're more willing to speak up.
But go on, explain to me why an asshole defines the entire region. I want to hear how we have more assholes and somehow can't be forgiven for that, but apparently NYC can!
FYI, I'm not a conservative.
It is precisely because I spent the first 30 years of my life in such a place that I don't want to.
Beleive it or not not everyone wants a giant lawn, white picket fence and 1.8 kids in the middle of incredible blandness, unworldliness, and closemindedness.