Without some support from the hero community and/or humans a proactive stance would have been used by enemies of mutantkind to stoke fear and hatred. The initial approach was the right one, the problem is that the X-franchise can't move to the next logical step because it would radically change the X-Men. That next step, as I've said again and again, is actual integration - mutants becoming largely accepted/tolerated/understood and a cooperative effort between mutants and humans to take care of mutants with powers that are a danger to themselves or others, and villainous mutants as well.
How many humans are actually militantly anti-mutant? How many would actually want to work with the X-Men to make a better world for everyone? Surely there are hundreds of thousands of humans who are either related to a mutant or have a close relationship with one, and a large percentage of them must want a safe world for that person or person(s). The idea that all of humanity must be deeply against mutants and not that many are just being led by The Powers That Be doesn't work for me.