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Netflix's latest historical series, Alexander: The Making of a God, is facing criticism from conservative circles for its portrayal of the ancient Greek king, Alexander the Great, engaging in same-sex relationships.
The controversy erupted on social media, with prominent right-wing accounts, such as End Wokeness, condemning the series for "turning" Alexander gay "within the first 8 minutes."
Historians note that Alexander had both sexual and romantic relationships with men and women, including his general and bodyguard, Hephaestion.
In particular, the University of Cambridge Museums & Botanic Garden website recounts that Alexander mourned Hephaestion's death intensely, highlighting the deep emotional bond between them:
"Throughout his life, Alexander married 3 women and fathered at least 2 children but also had several male lovers. Amongst his closest relationships was that with his general and bodyguard Hephaestion, with their relationship often compared by ancient authors to that of the Homeric heroes Patroclus & Achilles who were considered to be a couple in classical literature."
"Alexander, upon his conquering of Persia, is said to have taken King Darius’ eunuch Bagoas as his lover."
"Hephaestion unfortunately perished from fever the year before Alexander’s death – Alexander was said to be devastated & ‘lay weeping on his comrade for a day & night before being pried away’. He cut his hair in mourning and staged elaborate funeral games to honour him."
These facts escaped conservatives who lashed out at Netflix.
Interestingly, these same facts did not escape Jacob Chansley—known widely as the "QAnon Shaman" for his participation in the January 6 insurrection—who issued the following response:
"Just FYI from my reading of history, Alexander the Great was a well known bisexual who actually preferred men."
End Wokeness' post drew almost immediate ridicule.
This isn't the first time Alexander's sexuality has triggered controversy.
In 2004, director Oliver Stone faced legal threats from Greek lawyers over his film Alexander, which depicted the king as bisexual. The lawyers argued that the film was defamatory and called for a disclaimer stating that it was a work of fiction.
Actor Colin Farrell, who portrayed Alexander in Stone's film, acknowledged the challenges of depicting historical relationships accurately. He revealed that filmmakers had considered including more same-sex content but were cautious about alienating homophobic audiences.
Alexander: The Making of a God is currently one of Netflix's most popular shows according to the streaming service’s public ranking system. The series consists of just six episodes, covering just a fraction of Alexander's life.
Netflix has not confirmed whether it has ordered a second season of the series.