The ongoing discussions about Brokeback Mountain prompt me to write (HCN, 4/3/06: Keep the closet closed, please). During my 55-year marriage, I have lived in much of the West. I’ve even had the rare opportunity to actually live on a working cattle ranch. In short, I’ve known a lot of real cowboys!

Seeing Brokeback Mountain was a profound experience. I still feel the sadness, the confusion and the angst shown by the two cowboys, caught in something neither wanted nor understood. For a letter-writer to say "… you guys just can’t stop slopping ... gay mafia wants tolerance …" and similar tirades, seems to avoid reality.

Cowboys, lawyers, CPAs, truckers, line-cooks, IT techies, teachers, clergy, you name it. The human condition possesses all kinds, with no single person like another. I yearn for a world where we seek understanding and compassion for every person, regardless of race, gender, etc.

No, I’m no kook, nor fundamentalist nor radical liberal. I’m 74 years old and I’m really tired of judgmental attitudes. There is so much beauty and good in this world, still. Seize it! Celebrate differences! Live!

Judy Spivey

Whitefish, Montana