These cowboys are straight, and there is no helping it even though they do all those nasty gay sex things right in front of the cameras. What Ang, his straight scriptwriters and straight actors know is that sex between men happens. What they can't know is that little defining, liberating moment after sex between gay men who see themselves for who they are for the first time. huh - is it always that clear? gay/straight (black/white)? aren't there men who want sex with other men without a distinct sense that 'gay' is who they are? maybe questioning this is as clarity, as whether sexuality is that boxed -- which of course no it isn't -- shows ignorance of what this author is talking about, a real experience that is shared by gay men, that merits 'gay men' being an identity, a real group...
Straight actors, no matter how deeply they believe they can play a role, have no experience of that mask or how to let it drop. They certainly haven't the slightest chance of understanding it in a creative team as robustly heterosexual as this one. this critique I have no problem with, and enjoy its bite. Upon hearing of Brokeback's eight Academy Award nominations, Ang told the Associated Press, "I didn't know there were so many gay people out there. Everywhere, they turn up." Everywhere but on his casting couch.

Interesting gay-male rejection of Brokeback portrayals (cPunch-Scgltti)
After the Tears, the Questions...Why Are There No Real Gays in "Brokeback Mountain"?
By JOHN SCAGLIOTTI