Brokeback Mountain's Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger aren't really gay. Either are the movie's screenwriters, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. And director Ang Lee? No go.

All this has some gay gadflies upset.
Gay people should be the ones to chronicle gay lives in art, they say. That's the only way it can be "authentic." And besides, we need
more gay role models.

The sun rises, the sun sets.

For me, this is such a tired debate, and such a wrong-headed one. These people must think there are legions of great gay actors out there just waiting for a chance to shine -- and that basically almost any good actor can play a part. If that's the case, why not give gay roles to the gay actors?

But it's not the case. The reality -- something that anyone who's actually worked in the arts knows -- is that there are a lot of good actors, but not that many truly great ones. Even truer is the fact that not even every great actor can play every role. Weirdly, an actor's connection to a role often has very little to do with who that actor is in real life.

As fine a job as I think Jake Gyllenhaal did as Jack Twist (arguably the more difficult role in the movie), I think others could have played that character just as effectively.

But Heath Ledger's performance as Ennis Del Mar is a revelation. He is literally the perfect actor for the role. Even E. Annie Proulx, the author of the short story upon which the movie is based, has said that she didn't understand that character as well as Ledger did.

Thank God the casting directors for Brokeback Mountain cast as wide a net as possible. Thank God they didn't rule out Heath just because he's straight.

I think gay critics of the Hollywood also assume that there is a finite number of "gay" projects -- a very, very small finite number! -- and that if one of the project "slots" is filled by a straight person, there's one fewer for actual gay actors or writers.

There are no slots to be filled. There is always room for another truly great actor, or another great piece of writing.

I work in the arts, and 99 percent of the time I am very cynical and pessimistic about the business. But on this point, I have no doubt: talent still matters, mostly because it's literally undeniable.

Brokeback Mountain, the screenplay, did not get produced because it's gay. It got produced because it's a brilliant piece of writing -- and, frankly, it got produced in spite of the fact that it's gay.

Better still, because Brokeback Mountain got produced, and because it's very successful, it will lead to many more gay-themed projects. And we'll have the "gay" work of these straight artists to thank. Meanwhile, other high profile gay screen projects like Philadelphia and In & Out, both written by gay men, didn't have anywhere near the same impact.

Let's face it: they weren't nearly as good.

You could even make the argument that sometimes it's the perspective of someone outside a particular community that makes for more effective art. It's certainly the case that the gay artists' perspective on straight culture has made for some riveting performances, novels, and screenplays.

As a movie-goer, here's what matters to me: does the performance or project feel authentic? And quite frankly, that's all that matters to me.

This is literally what drew me to the arts in the first place: the transcending of labels and identities, and the resulting sense of freedom that is almost intoxicating.

Does the business side of the arts sometimes screw up this ideal? Definitely. People and projects are frequently accepted and rejected for exactly the wrong reasons.

Unfortunately, changing the rules of how the arts are supposed to work won't stop that.

Incidentally, in addition to the Brokeback actors, my favorite movie portrayals of gay characters include Guy Pearce, Terrance Stamp, Hugo Weaving in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding, Ian McKellen in Gods and Monsters; Jaye Davidson in The Crying Game; and Jason Lee in Chasing Amy.

Some of my least favorite gay portrayals include Nathan Lane in The Birdcage, Greg Kinnear in As Good As It Gets, and William Hurt in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Some of these actors are straight, and some are gay. But the only thing that matters to me is whether or not they suck.

And for me, that is the last gay word.

Brent Hartinger is the author of the gay teen novel, Geography Club, which is currently being adapted for the movies. The sequel, The Order of the Poison Oak, is just out in paperback, and his latest novel, Grand & Humble, is in stores now. Explore "Brent's Brain," his website, at www.brenthartinger.com.