The Confederate states were institutionally and culturally homophobic

To be fair, the Union states were also full of institutionalized homophobia. We haven't come as far as we need to, but we've made a lot of progress since the 1800s.

Yes, we have

And of course, the same goes for other kinds of bigotry. Black people, women, immigrants, and non-Protestants weren't treated equally in the North, and still face some barriers (look at all the hate Kash Patel got just for sending out positive Diwali wishes), but we've made progress and can continue to work for more.