Brokeback Mountain inspires T-shirt designs,
both pro and con

Having already spawned bumper stickers, countless late night talk show zingers, and a New Yorker magazine cover, Brokeback Mountain has reached its pop-cultural zenith: the T-shirt market. Spreadshirt.com, an online custom apparel company based in Leipzig, Germany, is offering 14 different Brokeback-inspired sayings and designs, including "Brokeback Riding Club" and "Is that a cattle-prod in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

But fans of the Oscar-nominated film aren't the only ones sporting Brokeback sayings on their backs. The Florida-based Second Coming Clothing Company is selling a T-shirt that depicts queer cowboys as the biblical sinners who worshiped a golden calf at Mt. Sinai. Along with the saying "The Original 10 Commandments, Brokeback on the Mountain," the T-shirt includes a reference to Exodus 32:19, which states, "He saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount."

Second Coming CEO Rick Wade was quoted by South Florida's CBS4 News as saying, "Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be taken out of our hearts and worn on the sleeves of our daily walk in life as we witness to others and take an affirmative stand in controversial issues before it is too late."

Spreadshirt.com's message, on the other hand, seems to be, "Lighten up." Their press release states, "It is within the world of T-shirts that heated controversies can be diffused with a bit of humor and levity." (Advocate.com)