There is lots of truth to theist family and friends running from you if you come out. My biological family threw a fit when my younger sister came out. That is not to say everyone reacts to that degree, but there are pockets in the States and especially in the east, where dissent in the family community will get you ostracized or worse.
Rest assured though, atheists do have online communities like this one to vent when things like this happen.
Rest assured though, atheists do have online communities like this one to vent when things like this happen.