I'm sorry that people are so close minded. I hope things improve.I live in Greece, so things are wayyyy different over here.
When I was about 10, a friend asked me if I knew what "gay" and "lesbian" meant. (Bisexual wasn't on the radar, really.) I didn't, and she whispered in my ear. I thought, Oh, ok. Filed that bit of knowledge away for future reference.
A different friend was mad at Elton John, when he came out. "I wish he weren't like that!" I asked her if knowing he was gay made his music any different (she was a big fan). "Well... no... I guess not."
Since she was 2 years older, I didn't follow up with what I'd say now: "Then what difference does it make? NONE!"