I don't know how often I will have to say this, but pagan life in the Midwest is far, far different. I'm sure that pagans in the Bible belt southern states have seperate issues of their own that they may or may not have addressed, yet. Pagan and pagan practices are affected by region for a slew of reasons, perhaps the same reasons traditions among our ancestors, pagan or not, varied too. I have never lived on the coastal cities to draw distinct comparisons, but from what has been said to me casually I can guess that some residents there are already taking for granted how well protected their own civil rights are. Although racism and bigotry in all forms abounds across the country still, the ability of pagans to combat it on the coasts is in far better condition than those of us living out in the plains and fields.
Conservatism is still our status quo.
Bookstores like the local Barnes and Noble refuse to put up signs for pagan meetings in the area for fear of offending the larger public. Churches still have considerable sway over public schools and local governments. Pentacles are still labeled a Satanic symbol and a teenager even demonstrating intellectual interest in Witchcraft will likely land the child in psychiatric evaluation, if not in a mental ward. New age sections are small unless you are close to a large city. The only reason the sections are filled with pagan books at all is because they are usually in a small section of the store that other patrons may not wander towards.