TomOfSweden,
I love to hear people from other countries comment on the USA because we tend to be smug, and a breathe of fresh air is always welcome.

I'm not an expert on the topic, but you seems to have summed up the situation better than most Americans do: it is pretty much illogical and carried out for spite.

The fundamentalist religious group feel homosexuality is prohibited in the Bible, and rail about it for that reason. And the world is starting to get a clearer picture of personality type that follow any fundamentalist philosophy of any kind. They're rigid, fanatical, vocal, controlling - all the nauseating qualities you come to expect from such people.

The issue of gay marriage isn't so much a matter of the issue itself, as it is the groups supporting or opposing it. They tend to be extremist groups ready to do battle with anyone who opposes them. I tend to think of our home grown right wingers as American's version of the Taliban.

Well, I'm not a expert, but I hope that helped a little.
TG

PS. TomOfSweden, there's another reason I'm glad you commented on this. American's tend to think we're the Big Boy on the Block, and we don't have to listen to anybody else. I think we should be more concerned with what other people think, and we should pay attention to what other people's interests are and concerns are. So anyone from another country that has their own concerns that they believe we should listen to, I welcome it. Let in general spend more time listening to one another.