Yes and knowing is half the battle. Seriously? Because someone is gay that's no excuse to beat them to death was supposed to be the lesson learned? Maybe they should rename the show "LIFE IN IRAN".
You don’t remember the early 70s too well do you? A major point of the show is the cultural differences between 1973 and now. Back in the 70s (and 60s and 50s too) “beatin up queers” was a generally accepted hobby for the “tough guy” contingent of our society. A big part of the “lesson learned” is remembering how things were, can’t really know where you are if you don’t know where you’ve been.