Are we really still a nation of bigots?

As we are now well into the 21st Century, I've come to wonder, when will the hate and bigotry end? I don't remember much about my life while my parents were alive, but one thing I do remember was that I was always taught to respect everyone, regardless of their race, religion, and yes, sexual orientation.

Yes, even at age 11, in the early 1970s, I was aware that there were people that were in relationships with people of the same sex. I didn't understand why, but I was taught that things of that nature were none of my business, and I was to respect them as I would any other person.

With news that Tea Party darling, Michele Bachmann, is attending an anti-gay rally in Iowa today, it baffles me how that in this day in age, how any prominent politician could support the demeaning rhetoric against one group of people.

I can't go to Iowa to show my disdain for this group. I would hope that there would be someone that would turn out, to let it be known that hate is not an acceptable American, Christian, or human value.