Annie Proulx
"Ennis woke in red dawn with his pants around his knees, atop-grade headache, and Jack butted against him; without saying anything about it both knew how it would go for the rest of the summer, sheep be damned. As it did go. They never talked about the sex, let it happen, at first only in the tent at night, then in the full daylight with the hot sun striking down, and at evening in the fire glow, quick, rough, laughing and snorting, no lack of noises, but saying not a goddamn word except once Ennis said, 'I'm not no queer,' and Jack jumped in with 'Me neither. A one-shot thing. Nobody's business but ours.'" - page 260
This quote is key in defining their relationship. Before their impromptu sex, there are little to no actions indicating that they might in fact be craving each other. The sex scene is sudden, uncalled for for, and they seem to think little of it. Rather than waking and awkwardly trying to explain themselves to one another, they are both fully aware that this action is indicative of their future experience together. Especially since both of them claim to be straight, and aren't outwardly attracted to other men, their sudden acceptance of their feelings for one another is astonishing. Of course, both are adamant about "not being queer", but they completely and totally accept their lust as natural.
This story raises a number of questions about both love and sexuality. Is it a love story? Is it a gay story? Is it a gay love story? With the boundaries of sexuality loosely tossed aside in the face of unconditional lust (and love), it is tough to interpret the exact statement being made by the story. Ennis and Jack are both married, with children. Besides the intercourse with one another, neither seems to crave more from males or females. Very simply, they crave one another.
If sexuality can be deemed meaningless, then their love is pure and transcends any kind of definition. However, if the definition of sexuality is taken literally as sexual attraction then they are, by definition, gay. While they engage in completely uninhibited sex, they seem to ignore other aspects of a relationship. They barely talk, or engage in any activities together other than intercourse. In that way, their relationship is more about lust.
Near the end, they have a chance at love as Jack tries to convince Ennis they should live together. However, turning the proposition down, Ennis is forced to live with his refusal and the chance at love that he wasted for the rest of his life. There are limitless interpretations of any story. However, "Brokeback Mountain" even makes its theme somewhat ambiguous.
A couple of things: the story alludes to the fact that Jack has had other homoerotic encounters (see allusions to Mexico, the fact that the "neighbor" with whom he was having the affair turns out to be a dude). But more importantly, your post suggests that relationships can never be limited by these terms: gay or straight, love or lust. Actual human interaction is a tangled ball.
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