More specifically, were there any progress (or, regression), on the issue of gay rights in the Confederacy during the Civil War, or, did the war make social issues take a backseat during that time?
Did the Deep South have religious sentiments run as high then? What influence, if any, did that have on gay rights to them, if any?
Thanks for any insight.
Being gay was a pretty foreign concept at the time. It was socially acceptable for same-sex friends to be much more intimate than it is now. It wasn't weird for men to cuddle, or say they loved each other and missed each other. And while it's assumed gay relationships existed within the Confederate and Union armies, no one was ever punished for them.
So to answer your questions, you probably would keep quiet about it because gay identity wasn't really a thing. But you could probably live with your partner without too many questions. People would just assume you were great friends who happened to also live together. If drafted, you'd be treated like everyone else.
It's also interesting to note that most of the secondary sources on this are popular histories by non-historians, so if you decide to do further readings be aware of credibility.