“He probably was gay”: Netflix’s Alexander The Great series causes social media storm

6 February, 2024

Alexander: The Making of a God

A new Netflix documentary has caused a stir on social media after it depicted Alexander the Great kissing another man.

Alexander: The Making of a God is a six-part documentary series that landed on the streaming service this week. It charts the rise of the Macedonian general from the moment of his father’s assassination to the conquering of his own empire.

However, it is a moment early in the opening episode that has led some viewers to take their complaints to social media. Alexander is shown kissing another man, his close friend, confidant and bodyguard Hephaestion.

One person took to X/Twitter, saying, “Netflix made a new documentary about Alexander the Great. Within the first 8 minutes, they turned him gay.”

The complaint led many to reply, asserting that Alexander is commonly considered to have been bisexual, with one simply replying, “I don’t think it was Netflix that made him gay”.

“Just FYI from my reading of history, Alexander the Great was a well known bisexual who actually preferred men,” read another comment.

Alexander the Great lived from 356 to 323 BC, and by the age of 30, he had created one of the largest empires in human history, stretching from Greece in the West to India in the East. Many historians consider him to be one of the most successful military commanders of all time.

Alexander married three times, but his sexuality has been the subject of speculation. The Roman historian Athenaeus wrote that he “was quite excessively keen on boys” and claimed that he kissed the male Bagoas in public. Many academics have also theorised that he did in fact share a long-time sexual relationship with Hephaestion.

Check out some other responses to the social media complaint:

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