History Main / FairForItsDay

** The 1990 episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E2SimpsonAndDelilah Simpson And Delilah]]" featured a character named Karl who kisses Homer and pats him on the butt, [[AmbiguouslyGay but whose sexuality is not officially confirmed]]. Nowadays, Karl would be derided as an example of queerbaiting, since Matt Groening [[ShrugOfGod never made any official statement on the issue]]. However, Karl is depicted as an incredibly loyal, helpful, and self-sacrificing assistant to Homer, and his kiss isn't done for a cheap joke, but is taken as a sign of how much Karl cares for Homer. Which is pretty remarkable considering the episode aired in 1990, when AmbiguouslyGay characters had yet to gain recognition in ''any'' American media, animation or otherwise.

** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS16E10TheresSomethingAboutMarrying There's Something About Marrying]]" drew a firestorm of controversy in the lead-up to its premiere in 2005, and was the only episode in the show's history to have a disclaimer about content before its original broadcast, since same-sex marriage was still a touchy, divisive topic. Polls in 2005 showed Americans opposed it by about a 60-40 margin. With the dramatic shift on the issue that has happened since (as of TheNewTwenties, polls show Americans favoring same-sex marriage rights by approximately a 70-30 margin), [[OnceOriginalNowCommon it just seems like a typical early Al Jean-era Simpsons episode and doesn't come off as particularly groundbreaking]].

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': Casca's character arc has been criticized in contemporary times for having her StuffedInTheFridge [[spoiler: by being violently raped to insanity]] and not returning for over 21 years in order to facilitate the traumas and development of the male main character. However, at the time, having a strong-willed gender non-confirming AmazonianBeauty with a nuanced personality serve as one of the main protagonists of a series and be able to rival the two male main characters in competence was unprecedented in most Seinen manga, which often exclusively relegated women to the role of victims or walking {{Fanservice}} vehicles.

* ''Manga/DestinyOfTheShrineMaiden'' has a nonsensical plot rife with unfortunate implications about the main character falling in love with a PsychoLesbian who [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnFemale raped her]]. But back when it was released, yuri anime almost universally gave its characters [[BuryYourGays tragic endings]] or [[BaitAndSwitchLesbians shied away from making their relationship explicitly romantic]], whereas ''Destiny of the Shrine Maiden'' made it clear that its female main characters were in love with each other and gave them a happy ending together ([[{{Reincarnation}} of sorts]]). However, the rape and overall poor handling of its yuri relationship mean that it has ''not'' aged well at all, to the point that actual sexual assault survivors (and modern yuri fans) have [[CondemnedByHistory condemned the series]].

** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS16E10TheresSomethingAboutMarrying There's Something About Marrying]]" drew a firestorm of controversy in the lead-up to its premiere in 2005, and was the only episode in the show's history to have a disclaimer about content before its original broadcast, since same-sex marriage was still a touchy, divisive topic. Polls in 2005 showed Americans opposed it by about a 60-40 margin. With the dramatic shift on the issue that has happened since (as of TheNewTwenties, polls show Americans favoring same-sex marriage rights by approximately a 70-30 margin), it just seems like a typical early Al Jean-era Simpsons episode and doesn't come off as particularly groundbreaking.

* "Baby, It's Cold Outside" generates controversy today that would have baffled its original 1940s audience. Modern listeners often think the lyrics portray date rape, with the man refusing to accept the woman's constant barrage of refusals until he finally breaks her down enough to do something against her will. The line in which she remarks, "What's in this drink?" is also seen as sounding like she's being drugged, However, when the song was written (by a man specifically to perform with his wife at cocktail parties) societal pressures were very different. AManIsAlwaysEager and AllWomenArePrudes were fully enforced, so courtship was a delicate game of manners where women were expected to put up a token resistance for propriety's sake, while the man's job was to pursue. The song is supposed to portray a romantic couple playing out this dance of evasion and persuasion until the woman feels that propriety has been met and she can allow herself to "give in." Her line about the drink was a common excuse among sexually active women at the time, blaming the alcohol for "weakening their resolve" to maintain purity when they in fact knew exactly what they wanted. To audiences of the time, the undertone of the story was both fairly risque and liberating.
** The line may be even more innocent than that: one of the features of cocktail parties was trying out new cocktails - the woman may simply be asking what the ingredients of the concoction she just tasted are.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'': One of the main characters, Alice, would nowadays be considered a blatantly transphobic caricature (especially given that she's voiced by a cis man). However, back when the show first premiered in 2008, she was one of the few transgender characters to be portrayed favorably, at least compared to other depictions in the media. The show also goes out of its way to portray her in a sympathetic light, respecting her pronouns and gender identity and portraying anyone who misgenders her as being in the wrong.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'': One of the main characters, Alice, would nowadays be considered a blatantly transphobic caricature (especially given that she's voiced by a cis man). However, back when the show first premiered in 2008, she was one of the few transgender characters to be portrayed favorably, at least compared to other depictions in the media. The show even went out of its way to portray her in a sympathetic light, respecting her pronouns and gender identity.

Contrast RuleAbidingRebel. InnocentBigot and RacistGrandma are related tropes. ExecutiveMeddling and LowestCommonDenominator may also play roles if unprejudiced creators are forced to pander to widespread prejudices among the public. The same principle applied to innovation in fictional works is SeinfeldIsUnfunny. Ironically, a clear counterpart to YouAreACreditToYourRace, the utterance of which ''was'' fair for its day.

** Peppermint Patty fits somewhere between this and SeinfeldIsUnfunny - originally she was rather gender-noncomforming because she wore pants, yet her hair is still somewhat feminine. These days, this aspect of her character is often lost on younger audiences.

** The WesternAnimation/MerrieMelodies cartoon "Clean Pastures" features good-natured spoofs of famous black jazz musicians, and the story suggests that certain types of black music are better than others. Its title is a takeoff on the play/film ''Green Pastures'', which has an all-black cast and is definitely fair for its day.

** Also from the Red Ribbon arc was Staff Officer Black, who had a [[BlackfaceStyleCaricature less than tasteful design]] to go along with his ColorfulThemeNaming, but was a HypercompetentSidekick who turned on his commander after he disregarded their soldiers' lives for petty reasons. [[Anime/DragonBallThePathToPower About a decade later]], he was [[AdapationalAttractiveness redesigned to look less like a caricature]].

** Also from the Red Ribbon arc was Staff Officer Black, who had a [[BlackfaceStyleCaricature less than tasteful design]] to go along with his ColorfulThemeNaming, but was a HypercompetentSidekick who turned on his commander after he disregarded their soldiers' lives for petty reasons. [[Anime/DragonBallThePathToPower About a decade later]], he was redesigned to look less like a caricature.

** Also from the Red Ribbon arc was Staff Officer Black, who had a [[BlackfaceStyleCaricature less than tasteful design]] to go along with his ColorfulThemeNaming, but was a HypercompetentSidekick who turned on his commander after he disregarded their soldiers' lives for petty reasons.

** Also from the Red Ribbon arc was Staff Officer Black, who had a [[BlackfaceStyleCaricature less than tasteful design]] to go along with his ColorfulThemeNaming, but was a HypercompetentSidekick who later turns on his commander for disregarding their soldiers' lives for petty reasons.

** Also from the Red Ribbon arc was Staff Officer Black, who had a [[BlackfaceStyleCaricature less than tasteful design]] to go along with his ColorfulThemeNaming, but was portrayed as a HypercompetentSidekick to Commander Red.

* General Blue in the Red Ribbon arc in ''Manga/DragonBall'' was a rather cringe-worthy gay stereotype; he was also ''by far'' the most competent, dangerous, and lethal of all the officers of the Red Ribbon Army, almost killing Goku three times. While he was [[AdaptationalVillainy worse]] in the anime thanks to some scenes establishing that [[AllGaysArePedophiles he had a taste for underage boys]], those scenes were filler created by Toei with no input from Toriyama.

** The 1990's version downplayed a lot of the unfortunate baggage on Hadji, presenting his philosophizing as a way for him to subtly snark at his more adventurous adoptive brother and the hotheaded Jessie Bannon. Making Hadji the computer expert helped solidify this idea. Additionally, his surname was revealed as "Singh" meaning he was Sikh, thus justifying why he is wearing a turban. Unfortunately, ten years later, BollywoodNerd would become its own trope - becoming a twofer with him being a Sikh.

** The show has some blatant stereotypes by 21st century standards, including an almost complete absence of ''any'' black people except for a second's worth of [[ChasedByAngryNatives angry African natives]] from the episode "Pursuit of the Po-Ho" in the opening credits. This episode proved the exception; in it, Dr. Quest quietly chides another scientist for calling a Po-Ho ritual "barbaric". He says that while it may seem barbaric according to ''their'' standards, it's not barbaric by the Po-Ho's standards.

** Barret from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is often criticized by modern gamers/journalists (especially with the announcement of the game's remake) as being a borderline racist stereotype of the ScaryBlackMan trope. While it's undeniable he fits the description and comes across as stereotypical, Barret was perhaps the best-written black character in the gaming industry back in 1997 -- or at the very least the best one written from a Japanese gaming company. While he does play the trope fairly straight, he has enough HiddenDepths to have a character arc, and becomes a ParentalSubstitute for his deceased best friend's (light-skinned) daughter. This stands out heavily considering Barret is from a JRPG, a genre that often avoids using black characters and usually relegates them to minor characters at best. It's worth noting that despite being stereotypical by modern standards, Barret remains an incredibly popular character, [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales especially among black audiences]].

* ''ComicStrip/ForBetterOrForWorse'' was in many ways ahead of its time -- however, a few things (i.e., John's casual sexism towards his female coworkers or Elly, the only gay Lawrence becoming a florist) come off as rather dated today. A doctor in one strip was also drawing with a Yamaka... and [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Johnston got hatemail accusing her of pushing an agenda.]]

* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' has a... ''complex'' relationship with the LGBT community. There are a lot of casually transphobic and homophobic elements thrown around; Ranma's SexShifter status is often invoked as making him perverse, guys hitting on or trying to sexually molest Ranma in his female form is played for laughs, and lesbians are explicitly described as perverse at least twice. There's also the central gag that Akane is explicitly engaged to Ranma under the logic that since she DoesNotLikeMen (due to a recent campaign of sexual harrassment), she must ''obviously'' be a lesbian. However, the series also shows most people as simply not caring about Ranma's curse once it is explained to them and treating him normally, including always referring to him by his preferred pronouns regardless of his physical gender at the moment, Ranma and Akane receive no negative commentary for their perceived pseudo-lesbian relationship, and Ranma's desperate drive to be cured of Jusenkyo resonates with some transsexuals in regards their struggle to achieve their true gender. The series has even developed a MisaimedFandom that idolizes Jusenkyo as a form of wish fulfilment, and/or who champion Ranma as a transgirl -- ironically, even though the canon is that Ranma '''despises''' turning into a girl and his greatest wish is to remain all male, permanently.

* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' has a...''complex'' relationship with the LGBT community. There are a lot of casually transphobic and homophobic elements thrown around; Ranma's SexShifter status is often invoked as making him perverse, guys hitting on or trying to sexually molest Ranma in his female form is played for laughs, and lesbians are explicitly described as perverse at least twice. There's also the central gag that Akane is explicitly engaged to Ranma under the logic that since she DoesNotLikeMen (due to a recent campaign of sexual harrassment), she must ''obviously'' be a lesbian. However, the series also shows most people as simply not caring about Ranma's curse once it is explained to them and treating him normally, including always referring to him by his preferred pronouns regardless of his physical gender at the moment, Ranma and Akane receive no negative commentary for their perceived pseudo-lesbian relationship, and Ranma's desperate drive to be cured of Jusenkyo resonates with some transsexuals in regards their struggle to achieve their true gender. The series has even developed a MisaimedFandom that idolizes Jusenkyo as a form of wish fulfilment, and/or who champion Ranma as a transgirl -- ironically, even though the canon is that Ranma '''despises''' turning into a girl and his greatest wish is to remain all male, permanently.

* ''VideoGame/TimeGal'': Examining the game decades after its release may raise criticism about how the game derives much of the humor from emphasizing the protagonist, Reika Kirishima, as a MsFanservice; one game over simply ends with her getting her pants torn off any fatal injury. Compare her to ''VideoGame/DragonsLair''[='s=] Dirk, the other PluckyComicRelief hero of InteractiveMovie game, and the difference is obvious. However, Reika was a breakthrough in video gaming when ''Time Gal'' came out in 1985. The fact that a major publisher like Taito released a heroine-centered title (without hiding her identity like ''VideoGame/Metroid1'' did) was noteworthy, and Reika is portrayed as a straight hero who saves the world by herself just like other FMV game heroes.

* ''Franchise/{{Barbie}}'' dolls often showed Barbie in professions generally not regarded as appropriately feminine at the time they were made, and earning enough money to own extravagant houses, clothes and other luxuries without [[NeverASelfMadeWoman ever needing a husband to fund her.]] Later, the dolls faced criticism for allegedly promoting unhealthily skinny body shapes or even promoting stereotypically feminine jobs (such as veterinarian). It's worth noting that the same mold is used to create the dolls' faces regardless of ethnicity, thus completely avoiding FacialProfiling.

* ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'': The part where Ryo/[[{{Hermaphrodite}} Satan]] claims to love Akira due to his female side doesn't age very well with today's audience due to the homophobic undertones. However, for a manga that came in the 70s, the fact that the author let a man explicitly proclaim his love for another man, regardless of the reason, should be given some credits. It also helps that aside from that particular instance, the love Ryo has for Akira is played seriously in the manga and is the only thing that humanizes the otherwise evil Satan.

* ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'': The part where Ryo/[[{{Hermaphrodite}} Satan]] claims to love Akira due to his female side doesn't age very well with today's audience due to the homophobic undertones. However, for a manga that came in the 70s, the fact that the author let a man explicitly proclaiming his love for another man, regardless of the reason, should be given some credits. It also helps that aside from that particular instance, the love Ryo has for Akira is played seriously in the manga and is the only thing that humanizes the otherwise evil Satan.

* Joe Jitsu and Go-Go Gomez from ''WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow'' look and act very stereotypically for the time period. However, they are intelligent and capable cops unlike Hemlock Holmes and Heap O'Calorie who only solve cases by dumb luck. Although they are the good guys, many modern viewers may find them cringeworthy.