I don't think you're out of date rather the parent is conflating WCAG saying "don't have contrast less than" as if it meant "your contrast should be near".
Ah, that is definitely true and I agree with your conclusion about it. I think these two replies were specifically in response to the "At 13.5:1, the contrast ratio on your site (#D8DAD7/#0F100F) is a bit much" portion though, it read as if 13.5:1 was too much contrast instead of just more than the minimum. Sorry for misinterpreting that bit!