The only place your son needs help from is from his own parents. No matter what your town is like or the fact that you've never "ran into a gay person before" doesn't change that fact that your son is your son, and you need to support him through everything he does. If your town is intolerant you need to stand up to him and support him. Even if he wasn't gay he would face ridicule later on in life for something else. Humans thrive on ridiculing others, especially high school kids! You could cause serious emotional problems for him by denying who he is and what he feels. Not to mention, denying his sexuality could cause riffs between you and him. He may start becoming more secretive and internal, and go out of his way to lie to you so he can feel comfortable with who he is. Just think about which is more important: your neighborhood image or your son.