Ok, I heard about this new-age cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain. I even watched the trailer on iTunes.

Now, I must admit I was a bit surprised by the trailer. Not being a TV viewer, I miss some of the big controversies sometimes.

So, I’m thinking… this shouldn’t bother me. I need to go see it. And I asked my hubby to take me…Mistake number one.

Apparently, the “I’ll do anything in the world for you” attitude that my sweetie has exhibited for the nearly two years of our marriage and the year of dating before that… well it ends with movies about homosexual cowboys.

So, I pout.

It does me no good.

I give up and call my father. He’s always so hopelessly out of the loop on things, I figure I can “rope him into” it before he’s aware. He’s always wanting to spend ‘quality time’ together and it’s been ages since we hit the theaters.

So I call him and say “Let’s play hooky this weekend from life and go see a movie!” Now, usually this approach is awarded with “Great! Let’s go!” But this time, not so much…

“Sure!” he says, “So long as it’s not that damn gay cowboy movie.” So I set my jaw and tell him that he’s not REALLY that closed-minded, and that I want him to go with me. I insist. I get turned down flat.

So, I go to my son. My son who is always up for anything. He’s the child that will go on all-day treasure hunting trips to antique shops, Goodwill, etc. He doesn’t even complain when I get a wild hair and decide that I’m going to FIND that *whatever-it-is* I’ve been needing or wanting forever and that I will not come home without it, even if it takes all day and a trip to Lexington to find it. He’s always got the “I’ll go with you and help” attitude.

“Wanna go see a movie,” I say, “just you and me?” And Wayne quips from the other room “Say NO Derrick, she’s gonna drag you to see gay cowboys.” My son looks shocked, betrayed and then all disgusted with me. He’s not going. He digs in his heels.

So, I call my best buddy. Her fiance is still in the “make a good impression” mode. He’s told her that he will do anything for her and for me and Wayne (by extension as her best bud). I tell my friend that I want to see this movie and that NO MAN I KNOW will take me, go with me, or even SPEAK with me about it.

I tell her my plan. I ask her to ask him to take me. She calls back the next day to report that he would be HAPPY to take me!…

And drop me off, and pick me up when the movie is over, but that there’s no way in blue blazes he’s gonna WATCH that movie with me.

I dunno. I thought my own surprise at the trailer was a little uncharacteristic. I’m an open-minded person. I’m a live and let live type. But… it seems that cowboys don’t mix well with same-sex relationships in many people’s minds.

So I’m really interested to see how this plays out… at the awards and in public opinion.

According to www.Hitwise.com, for the week ending January 21. 2006, searches for “Brokeback Mountain” were over 57 times more prevalent than the next most searched on nominated movie, “Crash,” and over nine times more prevalent than all other nominated movie titles combined.

So even if it’s not being accepted, it’s being investigated.

And, ironically, I’m watching episodes of the new “South of Nowhere” series on Wayne’s iPod that is delving pretty heavily into the theme of teenage girls determining their own sexual preferences.

But, I think (as usual) girls with girls is much more “accepted” in our culture than boys with boys — and the cowboy imagery throws many folks into a new low in acceptance levels. I know that it has in my recent experience. And just try to get a straight (pun intended) answer on why homosexuality is one thing, but homosexual cowboys is something else altogether.