Those progressive gains were won by grassroots opposition fighting for labor, civil, and LGBT rights against the US government that historically repressed those rights.
The foreign policy of the US has always been about Colonialism, imperialism, and Neo-colonialism; prioritizing regime changes propping up dictators to open up the exploitation of countries to the interests of US Corporations.
It begrudgingly half-way adopted things that were already common everywhere, then for the next decades went around the world spreading fascism and ultra-conservatism everywhere it went.
The US has always been a deeply regressive country
Those progressive gains were won by grassroots opposition fighting for labor, civil, and LGBT rights against the US government that historically repressed those rights.
The foreign policy of the US has always been about Colonialism, imperialism, and Neo-colonialism; prioritizing regime changes propping up dictators to open up the exploitation of countries to the interests of US Corporations.
Until it adopted them, because the people won. The people wanted more freedom and convinced others and it became policy.
It begrudgingly half-way adopted things that were already common everywhere, then for the next decades went around the world spreading fascism and ultra-conservatism everywhere it went.
The US has always been a deeply regressive country