I do think Buffy was pretty revolutionary for its time, because popular culture was still so poor in terms of female protagonists. Like most popular culture it’s aged incredibly badly because our media - while still veeeeery far from good - has moved on so much (and like someone said up thread, JW hasn’t evolved along with the audience in nearly 20 years).
As for being a creepster, I’ve kinda learned not to trust any community pillars or icons, especially if they are in marginalised scenes or groups. In my experience those who are the loudest and occupy the most space tend to be there because they have the most to hide, or they enjoy the power and benefits it gives them, rather than genuinely believing in equality or the cause. PWR BTTM being one particularly insidious public example. So it’s not a shock to me that he may have abused his position as Hollywood’s Shining Feminist Knight.