The fact that race, gender, and sexual identity are still widespread reasons why people are the victims of discrimination and violence shows that these are issues that our society still needs to deal with. The author would have a point if we as a society had thoroughly dealt with these issues and they had been solved and relegated to the past, but instead the systemic racism and misogyny and widespread discrimination against gay and transgender people has only put the spotlight on terrible problems that need a great deal more attention.

It seems like the author is saying (in the interview) that these issues should be downplayed rather than dealt with. But that's exactly what has been done for many decades and that resulted in problems only festering instead of being fixed.

No I do not think that they are religions, but they are expressions of a real new modern religion, which is the idea of human rights, since they are things which most people generally agree are good, and believe in though they are immaterial.

And that is perhaps a great and good thing, because, though considered to have a religious like authority. Unlike the pronouncements of Zeus, Moses, or St Paul, they are not regarded as entirely beyond debate and modification.

[theguardian.com]