I disagree, it's not unfair at all. Even in today's world, small towns have not changed that much.
The town I live in has about 4K residents. The surrounding County has about 10K. The major religions are Baptist (and evangelical Baptist derivatives), Catholic, and LDS (Mormon). Do you think their views have changed? They have not. To be openly gay is almost a death sentence. In school, you will be bullied despite any "official" policies. Out of school, you will be virtually ostracized by the community.