In the end, it's only fair to judge people in the context of their own time. Attitudes that were once liberal for their own time are barbarically conserative when viewed by the standards of a few generations later. If I lived in 1750 Mississippi, I could be viewed as relatively humane and liberal if my attitude towards my slaves was such that I never worked them too hard, fed them decently, I reserved beatings for only the most unruly of the lot, and I was careful not to break up families when I sold off slaves. By 21st century standards, I was monstrous for even owning slaves, but context is key. In the same sense, I don't fault past generations for homophobia the way I would current people who've had the advantage of a lot of exposure to more enlightened ideas. All you can reasonably expect of people is that they at least be a little ahead of the curve by the standards of their own time.