Some perspective on how the movie is being received in a large east coast city.The pulse of a nation can't be measured by the popularity of a single movie. But the early success of Brokeback Mountain, an anguished love story about two male ranch hands, is being interpreted by some as a sign that Americans are growing more compassionate and broad-minded about homosexuality.
"It's very clear from surveys that the country has been moving rapidly toward more acceptance," says William Doherty, professor of family and social science at the University of Minnesota. "Until the 1970s, homosexuality was considered a psychological deviance. Thirty years later, people are crying in theaters over the thwarted love of these two men."
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13483937.htm
