Its not about the movie, gay theme movies get made all the time.
It is about Hollywood and being completely out of touch with their audience, in a year where the disconnect between them and their audience is being felt at the box office, they award this movie.
There was the same interest last year when they locked out "Passion" and awarded an other whacked out liberal themed movie. Their disconnect is growing thus the interest.
Then you vote with your pocketbook, which is what is understood. No one is forcing me to see "Brokeback", and I'm not interested. I didn't want to see "The Passion", either, and no one forced me to. I really enjoyed "Narnia", though. :) The awards are all self-aggrandizement, and if people really don't want to see a movie, it doesn't drive the box office.
Hollywood is playing to itself. Humpmyback Mountain is an attempt to convert people. This is really not appealing to Muslim nations. Does Hollywood really think they are winning Muslim approval by voting top honors to mediocre films like Brokeback Mountain and TransAmerica? Mulahs in the Middle East would never endorse a film where a man cuts his genitals off to become a woman nor would they salivate over a movie where cowboys hump each other. Hollywood is why Muslims hate America.