How?
We do still live in such a society that you mention, and it's okay to call out what people say, if they are racist or homophobic, as that.
Just because people don't like being labelled as racist and hide behind 'oh I can't say what I think any more, society is changed', it's just a cop out.
What's probably also lost here is that people don't actually realise they're being racist because they're too unintelligent to realise (not everyone, but some of the interviews you see on the street are staggering).
Also, people get confused about hiding behind free speech, often from the right wing individuals. 'there's no free speech any more!! You can't say anything these days!'.
No, there has always been free speech. But there's also never not been a time where there's not a consequence of what people say. You can have free speech but it doesn't free you of the effect or impact of the words spouted...