Reply #28: Oh yes it does

[ruggerson]

Brokeback is a cultural milestone. It is the most talked about movie of the year. It is beautifully shot, acted, written and directed.

There have been many, many films about racism. ONe of the most seminal ones was Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. They have won Oscars. The subject matter is now considered safe.

There have been almost no mainstream films that deal with the sickness of homophobia and how it destroys lives.

Unfortunately, this seminal film lost to a lesser film this year, because of the very subject matter the film dissects: homophobia. Older members of the Academy couldn't bring themselves to vote for a "gay cowboy" movie.

This is an (albeit small, inconsequential) win for bigoted religious rightwingers. They mounted a hate-filled P.R. campaign against the movie and the Academy buckled.