I lived in the states at that time, and back then, there was a widespread sense that bigotry was something society was supposed to be overcoming rather than something people could openly embrace as political identities.

YES, of course, the 90s were absolutely full of bigotry, and marginalized groups had fewer legal protections. But speaking as a person of color, there was absolutely a prevailing sense, at least in mainstream culture, that society was moving toward greater acceptance and equality. Racism and homophobia were things to be embarrassed about, and media reflected that optimism everywhere- tons of boundary-pushing and inclusion that makes 2026's pop culture look as straight, white, and cis as can be- and there was no social media to amplify the relatively few voices who thought they should complain about that fact.

Back then, progress felt like an inevitability. We argued about how quickly we'd get there, but there was a general expectation that society would keep moving forward. Today, the US can't even take the direction of that movement for granted, let alone the progress itself.

I'll take the 90s' "casual bigotry + optimism" over the outright Nazi shit and utter cowardice displayed by those who refuse to fight back today.