Depictions of same-sex relationships in the media had come a long way going into the early 21st century – compared with the middle of the 20th century when you couldn’t find a homosexual character no matter where you looked. Then as the 2000s went on, more and more honest portrayals of life for a gay or lesbian individual in modern culture found their way to the silver screen.

On this day, December 6, in 2005, Brokeback Mountain, a movie about a pair of cowboys, played by actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, who meet as sheepherders and begin a romantic relationship, premieres in New York City. The movie earned several awards and sold well at the box office, however some groups still criticized it for its portrayal of a same-sex relationship.  Heath Ledger’s performance in Brokeback Mountain earned him his first Academy Award-nomination.