Worth noting that “liberal” also has other connotations. You appear to be referring to social liberalism, which is a great thing for the majority of humanity. Frequently, the term is used to refer to economic liberalism, which is a right-wing ideology. This is why you have leftists speaking negatively about (neo)liberalism. It’s an ideology focused primarily on unfettered capitalism and devalues everything that is not directly related to profit. It is also the ideology followed by nearly all western governments’ ruling parties (including the Dems in the US).