A Newsweek OpEd entitled "My Turn: I’m a Conservative, But I’m Not a Hatemonger" makes several points that resonate with me as a libertarian:

In a culture that supposedly values diversity, I’m called names simply for expressing my opinions.

I am a sexist. A racist. A homophobe. A zealot. It’s enough to make me hate myself. And I would if I believed it. But these labels do not really describe me—they are names I’ve been called because I’m religious and conservative.

...To tell people I was a Christian or a conservative was to be the target of mean-spirited rants—by the same “open-minded” people who scolded me for not embracing diversity. I got tired of the scoffing and the dagger-eyed glares aimed at me whenever I dared suggest an alternate world view.

I've often contended that conservatives are "the most openly persecuted minority group in America today"   (with a bit of tongue in cheek).  Personally, I'm a libertarian although I tend to broadly disagree less often with the Republicans than the Democrats.   This is probably because I see the international and economic agenda as more central to Governance than social agendas.

As a result, I feel quite a bit of empathy when I see/hear remarks like the author's above.   Many Liberals rope Libertarians in the same bucket as Conservatives.   Especially the "lay" ones. 

And, the more "lay" the faster and harsher the accusations seem to fly.   In their world, it's almost axiomatic that "Conservative" means the same thing as "closed minded" and that the more "liberal" you are, the smarter you must be  (not sure why the Equality Meme is considered "smarter" than the Freedom Meme).   If you're extremely left, you must be so smart that the hicks in Kansas won't be able to catch up to you in this lifetime.