Gay Marriage

[LemmingofGlory]

About this issue in the US (I have to talk about the US because in my country gay marriage is allowed): what does the land of the free exactly mean?

It's an idealistic catch phrase that has no real legal meaning.

And more specifically why would a country, especially a first world country (one that is a "melting pot" of cultures) make it illegal for gays to marry?

A portion of the U.S. uses their religion in determining what sorts of laws should exist. For these people, "religious good" always dictates or dominates "social good." These people justify laws because "God said so, and that should be good enough for everyone." I am not exaggerating. I live in Montgomery, Alabama. These people write in to the newspaper all the time. They even attack other Christians for not being "true Christians" and begin frothing at the mouth about how they'll burn in a lake of fire with Lucifer, the atheists, and the homosexuals.

Now, surely this portion isn't the only opposition to same-sex marriage, but it's the group I'm most familiar with.

And especially in the US, (politicians are always talking how great the US because everybody is free and can think, say and do everything they want) it seems strange to me that something (with which you harm absolutely nobody) like gay marriage is not allowed.

You're looking at the situation this way:
(1) Examine the stated ideals/laws of the country
(2) Examine the social condition
(3) Examine the suggested change
(4) Conclude whether it's reasonable/unreasonable, legal/illegal to allow the change

They look at it this way:
(1) Become confused at the prospect of a new social change
(2) Attend religious worship and be told what to think
(3) Disperse among the populace and tell everyone else what your God wants them to do

Other opponents of same-sex marriage may have a different method of examining the situation. Again, I'm mostly familiar with the froth-at-the-mouth, fire-and-brimstone types that correlate same-sex marriage with "Why do you think we have so many tornadoes in this country?" and other insane "God is punishing us" garbage.

So does that actually mean that " the land of the free" is only for heterosexuals?

To channel the spirit of an old television commercial*, it's the land of...
Speaker1: "You got your religion in my politics!"
Speaker2: "Good."

-Lemmy

*Footnote: The original commercial showed two people colliding.
Speaker1: "You got chocolate in my peanut butter!"
Speaker2: "You got peanut butter in my chocolate!"
And the chance collision resulted in the creation of chocolate-peanutbutter treat.