Ever since Brokeback Mountain became a bona fide cultural phenomenon, conservative commentators have been alleging that Hollywood is deliberately shoving homosexuality down the throats of “normal” Americans who have no interest in it. But Colin Covert says that while Hollywood may well have an agenda, it likely isn’t of the gay variety: “It might be more a question of sheer artistic utility. What gay themes offer in this day and age is the essential element for drama: conflict. And while there are few subjects as intrinsically charged as forbidden love, there’s always a need for a novel, culturally relevant angle as social mores change.”