Get Your Facts Straight Because Alexander The Great Was Not
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Many users on X believe that Alexander the Great was wrongfully depicted as gay in the Netflix series documenting his life. However, Netflix might actually be historically correct on this one.
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The concept of the greeks being gay is the most misunderstood part of history that there is. Whenever the Athenian or spartan called eachother boy lovers, it posed to be a insult. They were even depicted their enemies engaging in those acts as an insult as well.
LGBTs sempre existiram, você é homofóbica infelizmente
Not really though. They were a very promiscuous people. Often times the way it would happen is the young men would compete in front of the older men, and the older men would pick a young man and begin to court him. Zeus is also recorded to have had a young cupbearer, I believe Ganymede was his name, that he was having an affair with as well. These things are well recorded and there are lots of pottery and works from them depicting these scenes.
Edit: instead of people just saying I'm wrong, consider that there is evidence to support my claim and that there are researchers who seem to think thus way. I am not making it up. Please research it on your own instead of telling me I'm wrong.
Edit 2: The term for it is Pederasty if you want to research it.
Edit: Here is a good article on it, that also encompasses what the Greeks did find to be perverse.
stmuscholars.org/ancient-greek-pederasty-education-or-exploitation/#
In that case 1000 years in the future someone will dig up 4chan logs and will say everyone there was a homosexual, because they all called each other a "fa*got"
Speak louder friend, they cannot hear facts. 👏🏻
Metatron went in-depth with this misunderstanding.
I think it was 500+ accounts of homosexuality depictions cited in that era, and only about 21 of those had any grounds.
He was just kissing the homies goodnight.
🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣
Like the GREAT bro he is, epic.
bruh😂😂😂 you win.
Irony works when is based on truth otherwise is exposing the ignorance and spitefulness of the one attempting to use it...
As far as Alexander's appearance, he is described as having blonde hair, one eye blue and the other black and fair skin. Some say that his hair was a reddish blonde and his complexion was ruddy. Not unusual in Macedon, I understand. To say he was of darker skin and hair because he was "Mediterranean" would be a mistake. Love your videos.
So as far as history is concerned, Alexander the Great had heterochromia? Two different eye colors?
Macedonians are the epitome of European beauty in the classical sense. Like David by Leonardo. They were not Caribbean or North-African looking at all.
What’s your source? I’m pretty sure in Plutarch he’s described as having brown hair (though at the end of the day we’ll never really know). There’s also that famous Roman mosaic of him fighting with Darius that to me strikes a more possible image (using his likeness on coins as a point of comparison)
Not really. There's actually only 1 source that depicted Alexander having blonde hair. The rest of it were brown hair or dark brown hair.
You have no idea what youre talking about....LOL
I am Greek and i am frustrated that Hollywood uses these historical figures for profit instead of honouring them.
Instead of making an accurate documentary about the military genius Alexander was and inspired so many they focus on his bed life.. pathetic to say the least.. without accurate sources of course.
Love in Greek language is also for platonic, erotic, romantic etc. and male friendships were seen very important. They will say that they weren't labels back then, and while that's true, many forget that same sex relationships were criticised and ridiculed in society. Powerful men though took advantage of "teaching" younger boys to become "men" so you understand the corruption of the system already.
That makes the false stereotype that many ancient Greeks were gay even though that's not even historically accurate and Hollywood as always took advantage of these for profit.
I know it's not the topic of the video but how did you feel about black Zeus in Percy Jackson?
@@BradLad56I just about lost my shit when I saw that. Disney just loves pissing people off.
Eh, many ancient Greeks WERE gay. As were many ancient Romans, Persians, etc. Ask yourself one thing, did the cult of Dionysus do Greeks any favors with the stereotyping? Not really.
@@justforfunsies5000 from historical records it is indeed proven that many ancient civilizations had gay relationships. But the point is that in ancient Greece it was still viewed in a judgemental way unless the men were powerful people, then society didn't bat an eye. (Often predatory relationships unfortunately)
But also they were male friendships and platonic love is equally important that's my take. Things back there didn't have labels like now but there's a wide misunderstanding (often many memes now) that ancient Greek men were a majority gay without having reliable sources.
The problem is when people spread misinformation that's the main concern because i am about speaking about the variety of relationships in ancient civilizations as long they stay true to the sources
@@BradLad56 my opinion of course as Greek myself that i don't approve of this choice. The actor was amazing but my criticism goes always to the companies especially Disney.
The series promote American diversity, however Hollywood fails to realise the importance of ethnic diversity. It would make sense to cast Greeks, Greek-Americans or at least Mediterranean people. The same goes to the kids from the camp.
Again no hate to any actor, the problem lies on the greedy corporations who don't value other countries or try to be respectful, because to them Greek mythology is an aesthetic.
For example it wouldn't make sense to have Chinese mythology figures have a black deity. So why is Greek mythology always the exception?
Historian here. First of all - the topic is well discussed in science and i can always just say: Read the books, inform yourself before you give an opinion and then educate yourself with these informations in a scholary context. A good, if old, book to start would be "greek homosexuality" by Kenneth Dover.
Alexander was not heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual or any other type of sexualities we as modern folks have. Sexuality was not thought of in the way we think about it today. We know little of the ancient world, because most of what was written was either to defame or flatter the person who was written about and we dont have diaries of these people. To come to the most pressing matter at hand: Alexander did most certainly have relations with guys and women. Thats a fact.
Now to put this in context: Homosexual activities between adults where not commonly accepted (there are exceptions though!) and seen favourably by the people of the time. The most common form was paiderastia between an eromenos (young boy) and an erastes (man). The roots of this practice was a rite of passage by having a socially high standing adult showing a growing man the world and the way culture works. Penetrative sexual acts where frowned upon though because it "degraded" the passive part (and relegated them being in the position of women, who - lets keep in mind - where not really on the same social level as the men because they where not allowed to vote and had to stay home mostly). The Athenians for example called the spartans "womanfolk" because women had more rights there compared to the other greek world and it was of course meant as an insult.
Another, more rarely found example of accepted same-sex relationships was the warbands, like the sacred bands of Thebes exclusively made up from male lovers, which in turn strenghtened their bonds and loyalty towards each other in battle. BUT - ands its a big but! - we know that society at that time was really invested in cultivating a specific male ideal which focused on having children and creating families. Passive homosexual activities where frowned upon a lot (see Aristophanes) and was not generally accepted. There are exceptions though, like Thebes, but this is the only exception we know of. Even in the greek mythology its always an adult male who has a relationship with a far younger person (Achilles / Patrocolos for example), while gods are not men and are above social human constructs (like Zeus or Apollo sleeping with every guy available)
This comment should be upvoted more, as a fellow historian these are the facts. We cannot apply anachronisms to elite macedonian society in alexander’s time.
What a bunch of Shit. Hetero and Homo have been around since creation. So, All the Herero's from the past were not really that? Only the Homo's get this "does not apply" treatment. It is so transparent.
I have been a history professor for 27 years, one thing I can say is don't trust Hollywood for accurate History. 🤣 If there are history buffs here, I have all my lectures up as a free resource! Tons of homeschoolers have been using them.
The only time I have subscribed to a random account. Based solely on " I have history lectures, come watch". Ty.
@@DramaHeart Awesome! I love teaching history. Hope you enjoy them!
My son is going to love this!! He is only 7 but he scores at a 4th and 5th grade level. He is homeschooled and I have been trying find resources for History and Science 💕
subbed!
@christaljohnson9871 homeschoolers are amazing! They have been some of my best students. He may be young for my videos, I would love to know if he grasps the content. As he watches them leave comments to let me know.
In 200 years people will be saying the English always had dark skin.
No need to wait. Few years ago, some "historians" claimed that there was an ancient native Brit woman who was Black. The BBC pushed that agenda so hard, they even made a statue for her, depicted her as a Black woman.
About a year later, it was discovered that she wasn't Black. She wasn't even an African at all. She came from Cyprus.
They are doing it now.
That's evolution, bruh
@@noctambule5726 No, that's pretending the past was different than it was.
@noctambule5726 cope harder. All that cheddarman bullshit was debunked like a day after the story came out.
Also, to be fair when I learned about Alexander the great in school (a few months ago) We didn't learn that he was gay. We learned that he was a great ruler who had a really great game plan and conquered more land than any ruler ever. Which earned him the title the great.
I'm a history teacher, and I hate to break it to you, but Alexander was definitely not straight. I can't tell my students that though, because they aren't mature enough to handle that fact.
@@michaelvanderwal7390Citation needed.
@@michaelvanderwal7390Except he was. And you're wrong.
Subutai (general of Genghis Khan) conquered more nations (more than 30) and covered more land than Alexander The Great. Just learned about him today.
@@kennymichaelalanya7134 cringe and not important.
It's funny to me how many people don't know history but like to speak on it.
I'm Greek and I totally disagree with the "how the things work" in ancient Greece. I recommend you the video of Metatron "The TRUTH About LGBTQ+ in Ancient Greece - Once and for all" that explains the facts in English so its easier for you to understand.
It’s simple it does not need a video were they having sex with men… yes . As a Greek should you be ashamed….NO . That simple
Do you believe that idiot wants to learn the truth? They are a bred of the system.
Yep!!! He is telling the truth!!!
Leather Apron Club did also a number of videos on the issue and he actually presented history even better than Metatron.
Make it lame and gay. That’s the modern agenda for every show/movie these days
The Panderverse 😭
Yup! God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ, who is the name above all names & the only way to Heaven❤
Whether he was gay or not, why does it even matter? The actual problem with this fixation on him being gay, as if it's a major character element, is part of a big reason for why modern writing has lost its quality.
Focus on depth, when it comes to character development, not shallow nonsense. When I see stuff like this, I see a detail that needs to be pushed as far as possible to the surface for it to be blatantly obvious and inarguable. But does anyone know what actually makes a deep character? It's when you can argue for hours about what they're doing or what their behavior is. It's when it invites discussion. That's depth.
Sometimes that’s not good enough, Owl House had quite the lgbtq characters and it still got cancelled despite getting extremely high ratings. I guess the message wasn’t pushed enough, it had a good story line.
Put a chick in it and make her gay!
this was not the episode I was expecting today
Same
fr
Pleasantly surprised as well, eyyy??
She's wrong. Literally no evidence Alex was gay. That kiss was him being dared to kiss the dude during a party. LOL.
@@Uhtredrag1080 true. the reason we have all these things popping up in "history" is because the historians themselves, if you can call them that, have all gone woke. the nonsense they're spewing out has little to no basis in actual history
Well he was described as blonde and apparently didn't discriminate with regards to his sexual appetites but that's not what's important in regards to him. What is important is that he went from Macedonia to Anatolia to Egypt and through Persian to the brinks of Indian becoming King of all in only 9 years. He was Great. There's a reason Napoleon is considered the greatest general since Alexander.
He really wasn't described that way. But your story is cool too
The descriptionof blonde are after his death and to make him closer to a god. During life or close to it reports were brown. There is even a painting from his life time that depicted him with brown hair. The eye part is similar to think the only description was one blue eye and one brown, but it’s after death so it’s hard to know for sure.
Him being gay is not historical to his time because the term exist. You just had sex with everyone basically but marriage was for women and men only.
@@boyeatsworld-vr9ciactually, yes he was.
@@tedfebo1741 he was not.
@@boyeatsworld-vr9ci 😂😂😂😂
Even if he was gay. He was still a Badass. And from what I have read, he liked women and men.
Yeah he was attracted to both sexes according to history his best friend Henpesition and Roxane so he was gay and straight and the same time
The problem with Alexadros is that most what we know about him was written a hundred years after his death.
Because other men insulted him by accusing him of being gay, does not make it a fact anymore than modern gamers calling each other gay in voice chat. There were plenty of insults in Ancient Greece that negatively referenced gay acts. It was not socially acceptable acts despite the modern rewrite of history.
They used boys. They had a strange culture.
@@grantschiff7544no they didn’t
@neonsamurai4604 The netflix show was unwatchable. However, Alexander was gay. You can't rewrite that.
@grantschiff7544 WTF are u even talking about? You're referring to royalty, which is like 0.0001% of the population.. How do you generalise it to the whole culture and country?
If one guy is gay in your family, does that mean you and your whole generalise and even your whole family tree are gay or bisexual??
Actually, I firmly believe two things:
1) Alexander was at least bi.
2) All those little gamer shits really are gay as they say.
Metatron also tore this a new one
Love his stuff
I was wondering if he'd done one yet.
Someone please post it. I am having technical difficulties with the link! Thank you in advance and have a great day!
Metatron needs to be the technical advisor to all historical documentaries
I actually liked his critique. He gave credit to the accuracies and criticized the inaccuracies. He had some points for and against depicting Alexander's physical appearance as blond vs. dark haired. He had some very good criticisms about the armor depicted in the docudrama.
This is one of the few times where people can't use the "It's OK because the character isn't real" excuse. Those people are suddenly absent when this is being discussed.
Like when they made cleopatrablack because “my grandmother told me so”
Is anyone disputing that Alexander the Great was a white dude? I’m pretty sure that this is a well known historical fact.
They made all the historical figures as they wished, this is not about changing imagination. This is a whole agenda for wokeism for the culture and knowledge.
Oh don't worry they definitely trying to find a way to use it lmao
I think this argument misses the point. I turned it off too after ten minutes. If Alexander was bisexual or whatever could have been said and discussed. They went to it literally in five minutes of the program like that was the most important thing. They also did not need some long tongue kissing scene in a lake like it was a gay hallmark movie. I, like most regular people, do not want to see that and I assumed the rest of it would be all about being gay. Who wants to see that?
That is what the problem is. I have no desire to get into some argument about if he was gay since we do not know since it was 2300 years ago. Netflix clearly wanted this to be all about him being gay, and people don't want to watch a documentary about a great historical military commander where that is the subject matter. If is far left drivel once again reducing everything to identity politics of 2024.
Hi Brett, the quote about the kiss with Bagoas is a highly questionable one and, I think, not to be taken as a serious argument for Alexander being bisexual.
Here is why:
The context of the quote is that Alexander and his men had arrived at Gedrosia after many battles and hardships. They had stopped to rest and in the meantime, hold a festival. Up until the quote you mentioned, Plutarch is describing a series of events in a matter-of-fact manner. Then he uses the Greek word λέγεται, meaning "it is said (that)", which was translated as "it is recorded that" in the English quote you gave in the video. "It is said" rather than "it is recorded" has a subtle difference in meaning. Recorded would imply the events were written down and kept in official archives or something of that nature, but the word λέγεται makes it much less official. It is the equivalent of "rumour has it" in this context. So Plutarch is trying to note that the whole kissing event might not be true.
Now, in another of Plutarch's works "Moralia. On the Fortune or the Virtue of Alexander", he reports that Alexander was once offered a young boy, a eunuch, as a gift from Philoxenus of Asia Minor. As you will see, Alexander did not take kindly to it:
Philoxenus, the governor of the coast-lands of Asia Minor, wrote to Alexander that there was in Ionia a youth, the like of whom for bloom and beauty did not exist, and inquired in his letter whether he should send the boy on to him, Alexander wrote bitterly in reply,” Vilest of men, what deed of this sort have you ever been privy to in my past that now you would flatter me with the offer of such pleasures?”
Alexander called Philoxenus the most vile of men for even thinking that he would be happy to accept a "gift" like that. " ... what deed of this sort have you ever been privy to in my past?" This directly contradicts the story Plutarch mentioned about a kiss with Bagoas. It seems more likely that the kiss story was a baseless rumour and Alexander's very clear opinion on pederasty, which was really "recorded" in a letter, represents a more reliable insight into his character and sexuality.
As for Hephaistion, well, the only real reason why that became considered by some as evidence for Alexander's alleged bisexuality, is because ... Alexander grieved deeply after he died. I think this one speaks for itself.
For the classicists amongst you, here is the "kiss" quote in the original Greek. Just so you can see the context for yourselves. You will notice λέγεται right there at the beginning.
λέγεται δ᾽ αὐτὸν μεθύοντα θεωρεῖν ἀγῶνας χορῶν, τὸν δ᾽ ἐρώμενον Βαγώαν χορεύοντα νικῆσαι καὶ κεκοσμημένον διὰ τοῦ θεάτρου παρελθόντα καθίσαι παρ᾽ αὐτόν· ἰδόντας δὲ τοὺς Μακεδόνας κροτεῖν καὶ βοᾶν φιλῆσαι κελεύοντας, ἄχρι οὗ περιβαλὼν κατεφίλησεν.
Cope
Thank you for actually mentioning the sources and the difference between something that was recorded and something that was hearsay! I swear people don't read anymore and yet seem to reach a conclusion after a brief internet search... As a Greek and Macedonian at that, I know for a fact that people have no idea what Alexander the Great did and how it didn't happen overnight, it was planned since his birth....
@@MoTr-ue4mi what a reply :|
@@ethanloveland504 i mean why would you waste your time with delusional people
Actually being homosexual was condemned by law in Ancient Greece.
I dont know why people here that have phd in plilosophy do not state Solon Laws in book 5, chapter 5, article 332. They are quite clear in the consequences if an Athenian had a relationship with a man.
These are the laws and the consequences in Ancient Greek if someone has a homosexual relationship.
“Αν τις Αθηναίος εταιρήση, με έξεστω αυτω των εννέα αρχόντων γενέσθαι, μηδέ ιερωσύνην ιερώσασθαι, μηδέ συνδικήσαι τω δήμω, μηδέ αρχήν αρχέτω μηδεμιάν, μήτε ενδημον, μήτε υπερόριον, μήτε κληρωτήν, μήτε χειροτονητήν, μηδέ επικυρήκειαν αποστελλέσθω, μηδέ γνώμην λεγέτω, μηδέ εις τα δημοτελή ιερά εισίτω, μηδέ εν ταις κοιναίς σταφονοφορίες σταφανούσθω, μηδέ εντός των της αγοράς περιρραντηριων πορευέσθω.
Εάν δε ταύτα τις ποιή,καταγνωσθέντως αυτού εταιρείν, θανάτω ζημιούσθω.”
What it states is:
If an Athenean εταιρήση (makes mate) he will not be allowed to become member of the 9 lords, he will be able to become a priest, he will not be able to become an advocate of the people, he will have no authority inside our outside of athens, he cannot become a war preacher, will not be able to express his opinion, will not be allowed to enter the sacred public temples, will not be able to take walks happening in Agora and lastly it says whichever citizen is condemned as an erotical person with the sex of the same gender and ignores any of these laws is punishable by death.
So if you are condemned as “gay” or had a homosexual intercourse and take a walk in agora or express your opinion in an important matter you are condemned to death.
👏 spot on
Alexander was no Athenian he was Macedonian and Athenian law wasn’t enforced to all the other city states during Alexander’s lifetime. Second there is homosexuality that as utilized by Thebes when forming the sacred band of Thebes so it just another example of Greek does not mean Athenian until later on.
Alexander's empire had no official 'code of law' the regions he controlled used their own laws and the successor kingdoms made their own laws in the territories they carved out after the death of Alexander. So it stands to reason that he wouldn't care at all about what an Athenian he conquered would think. The term 'gay' as we use it now, just wouldn't really have a place in their society. From how understand it in the most basic form is that if you're a top no one is judging you. I assume it was similar to Rome in a way in how Caesar was mocked as basically Crassus' bottom, but no one made fun of Crassus for the same I believe.
"We can't escape anything sexual anywhere"
Why did you describe my day yesterday? My coworkers yesterday kept playing songs about promiscuous women asking for *things* to happen to them, using explicit language to describe things. Why do they think that's appropriate to play in a workplace?! I'm sick and tired of other people's sexuality! Keep it in the bedroom!!!
This is why I’ve never accepted the argument “why is it any of your business what other people do in the confines of their bedroom” as a legitimate argument. Because they cannot keep it confined to their bedroom.
Omg you're a good girl shiva
Sue the company!! That is mental and emotional torment!!
@@talongreenlee7704 So you blame all the people who don't because of the few ones who do, makes total sense 😒
@@queenpanda26 because of the overwhelming majority that can’t.
As I recall, Alexander's teacher, Aristotle, taught against homosexual acts (orientation, as such, is a modern social concept). That's hardly definitive, as far as Alexander himself goes, but his influences were indeed, you know, influential on his life, then that is not exactly a check in the gay column (again, pardon the anachronism).
Check your facts, Aristotle had a male lover. He taught them not to follow their body impulses, though, to try and find a "soulmate" a connection of the souls
Are we sure ... I mean i am greek and a very good informed one and i domt think that homosexuality replies to Alexander.,also he had a son ...so
@@sof_0w0Lots of repressed gay men have children too married to women.. ever hrd of closeted DL men? Or Alexander cud be bi.. who knows? Views on sexuality was so different back then.. it wasn't considered a taboo.
@@sof_0w0 you might be greek, it doesnt make you an expert anymore than an american person is an expert in mayan culture. Plus, your statement about Alexander having a son is irrelevant to my previous comment
@@stormtrooperCorner well if we see how Americans are educated well i have my doubts.In Greece we have the best education at universities. That is why most greeks are finding work places easier at any country. Also do you know greek?. I have to add that we actually know our history better than you. Also didn't reply to you but to the other guy. But i ll respect your opinion nevertheless.
Well, yes and no, there's a great video of Metatron debunking many of the myths about the Greeks and homosexuality. There has always been homosexuals within every society, but they were not really glorified or anything.
Alexander himself might have been gay, tho. It's still debated.
Plato and Xenophon disagreed on homosexuality
@@matityaloran9157 Precisely. And those were not really your run of the mill Greeks, those were the intellectual elite.
@@nicolasandresmartinez-cond126 True, though I’m not sure how we could gauge general popular opinion of the time given it was people like Plato and Xenophon who wrote their opinions down
@@matityaloran9157 True enough, it's what we can get our hands on, but I'd say that their opinions have to be taken with a grain of salt.
@@nicolasandresmartinez-cond126 Fair.
Ah Brett, Mediterranean people weren’t always dark skinned.
Alexander had hair the colour of a “lions mane”.
"Get your facts straight." Procedes to completely fuck up the facts.
Coming from a brown skinned Indian, Alexander the Great was not a colonizer.. Yes, he pursued greatness through the expansion of his empire but that was to fulfil his believed destiny as a god amongst men. Alexander was criticized by some of his soldiers for not imposing his Macedonian culture onto his newfound subjects. His army settled all over and became a little more of everything else. The Ptolemy’s became more Egyptian, the Bactrian Empire arose in Central Asia, they took on new identities.
He literally colonized everywhere he went. It's called Hellenization. Not that there's anything wrong with colonization.
@@herbie_the_hillbillie_goatthis is actually absolutely wrong with coloniazation but indefence of Alexander those were ancient times and to built his empire he did colonized civilizations
You had to say you're brown skinned indian.
@@zuhasajid900 There's nothing wrong with colonization. It sure beats total conquest. Would you rather your people get food, medicine, and science, or that they be conquered? Civiizations are not altruistic.
@@herbie_the_hillbillie_goatWhere are you from, may I ask?
History major here! Contrary to what Netflix has presented, Alexander the Great was most likely not gay, but rather engaged in the practice of pederasty which was a popular phenomenon in Ancient Greece. Pederasty was essentially when an older man of great influence (such as Alexander) would mentor young boys in “all aspects of manhood”. Close to all of these pederastic relationships included sexual elements and had nothing to do with one’s sexual identity as it was a common cultural practice at the time, as messed up as it was.
Yes, you've explained better than anyone else here what I recall being told about it many years ago.
That's gay. Netflix was unwatchable, but what you describe is gay.
No, it isn't. When you're not attracted to men, you're not gay. And supposedly, he wasn't.
He wasn’t didn’t do that either
A pederasty involving sexual elements was shunned and those who did it could be jailed/executed. Maybe find a more comprehensive education on the matter, yours seems to have been biased towards modernity.
at best ancient greeks were poly amorous. Same sex relationships sometimes had a sexual component but that was part of their cultural practices of mentorship. When they called each other 'boy lovers' it was as an insult. the idea that the ancient world was some gay/bi world is deliberately overblown
As a Greek, I can testify that @richardy2071 is posting false information on the internet
If there’s a sexual component, those dudes are gay.
It was their culture to use boys. Alexander had boys and was used as a boy. It would be neive to think otherwise.
If it was such an insult and negative why display it so much in their art and on their artefacts ... nobody here wants to pretend it was an lgbtqxyzhttp heaven, lets just say they were a bit like us, its was accepted yet not the norm and they had a special place and role in their society, thats it ...
Ancient greeks were 99% percent straight, perverts exist in every society so yeah gays may have existed in ancient Greece too
Congrats on the 4M!!!! You deserve it. Keep being humble and relatable. I have seen almost every video and I am back everyday to check the news! Hugs from Portugal
To be fair you don’t have to like the fact that homosexuality exists. But it does and it did. And was a lot more common in ancient times then a lot of people want to admit. It’s just the fact that in modern TV it’s always pushed all the time when we watch something historical. It’s kind of the last thing we want to see. But to be completely fair we know the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, even the Vikings many Native American tribes, certain ethnic groups in India, all had many many recored times/people/incidences of homosexuality, lesbianism and other such things. The reason there is more speculation than fact is because before the 1900s there wasn’t really a word for being gay, or for being a lesbian or for being transgender.
Those who cannot conceive Friendship as a substantive love but only as a disguise or elaboration of Eros betray the fact that they have never had a Friend. The rest of us know that though we can have erotic love and friendship for the same person yet in some ways nothing is less like a Friendship than a love-affair. - C.S. Lewis.
And those who cannot conceive of same sex relationships not being a modern invention are equally biased.
@@RationalistMH it being normalized sure as hell is.
@@Kwisatz-Chaderach Not it isn’t. It was actually fairly normalized in Ancient Greece, but far right propagandists rewrite history to hide that. But you get your history knowledge from anti woke UA-camrs, so you won’t know that. Unfortunately for you, actual historians don’t care to make homophobes like you feel comfortable.
Im pretty sure that Plutarch did say Alex was “fair,” implying blond
I remember fair I think but I thought he had brown hair 😭sorry Plutarch
No. Fair is implying that he's White. Not necessarily blonde.
In most frescoes he is depicted to be a brown haired, brown eyed individual
This just means he didn't cheat at games.
You are 100% correct and "gay" meant happiness....
Congrats on four million, I’ve been watching since around 10k, love seeing your channel grow!
She is so cute how can you not watch?
@@bodhimantra7688honestly I do have a crush lol she's adorbs
It confuses me though, and I'm a fan been watching since around 900k.
But when you look at the speed the channel is growing you would expect the videos to get much higher views. But all of her videos for the last few months have been performing pretty poorly with views (In comparison).
Something's going on... But either way I'm still a fan of the content 🤷
History is rewritten every day
This isn’t rewriting history
Netflix only adds historical context when it suits their agenda.
I literally dropped Netflix when they made Red Riding Hood in the TV series Once Upon a Time a gay character.
Once upon a time is not a Netflix original.
@@Cherrypie626 I know it's ABC disney, but it was airing on Netflix and I was paying Netflix to view it. Netflix puts it out there, I no longer subscribe
@@RussellRobinson971So you dropped it just because of one show, why not just not watch that particular show, there’s so much other stuff on Netflix to watch . It’s not like it’s the only show on Netflix to watch .
You the real snowflake if you dropped a whole show just because one character is gay
CONGRATS ON 4 MILL BRETT!!! YOU DESERVE THIS SO MUCH 🫶🏻
IIRC, Plutarch lived 300 years after Alexander. I wouldn't trust any account that old. The only contemporaneous account I have seen referenced is Alexander taking offense that someone thought he might enjoy the company of a young boy.
I am sure scholars have more reason to believe what they do than that, but given the state of a lot of our institutions of learning it wouldn't suprise me either way. I should go look up more information.
If we can’t trust an ancient gossip columnist who can trust though?!?!
Nah, Alexander didn't just not have sex with men, in fact he mostly abstained from sex with women too. He said that true men should get away from indulging in temporary desires and focus on ethical values, which are permanent. When a king from Taras said he would "gift him two young boys" Alexander said he was "disgusted" and that he couldn't be strayed from his ways by such a vile practice
Alexander defeated the Persian empire, which was an institution where everybody under the King was literally the King's slave. The Greeks.believed in freedom and individual sovereignty...Alexander believed in sharing that philosophy with the World. He definitely was not the worst of the colonisers, not by a long shot. Yes, he enjoyed killing men in battle but he was not cruel to innocent civilians.
Certainly was not unheard of. Paul described such behavior in Romans, attributing it to the fallen nature all mankind is born into.
4 mill people with their head on straight. there is hope...
If I recall the references that people construe as "gay" for Alexander are more precisely "effeminate". Basically, the equivalent of saying he talked with a lisp or was flamboyant. The issue really is that the modern concept of "gay" was a bit different in the ancient world. Nobody cared if Philip of Macedon buggered the stable boy before leaving on campaign, they cared if Philip got buggered. Pitching was fine, catching was what got a man looked down on. Even if he preferred men, however, he was a royal so he'd have had to be married and produce heirs.
Regardless, it's kind of irrelevent. The least interesting thing about Alexander would be who he slept with. The man fought at the vanguard of one of the biggest battles of the ancient world, got stabbed with spears twice and kept fighting until the battle was over. Immortal badass.
He was totally gay. He used boys and probably was used when he was a boy. It was a gay society. Gays can be scary in battle.
It matters to a certain level since still to this day homosexuals or lets say just non-totally straight men, are still seen as weak, incapable, inferior, less "man", etc.., especially from Conservatives perspective, so yeah its great to remind that they are just men and just as capable of accomplishing the most manly things there is such as being leaders, soldiers, warriors, fighters ...
@@F.R.F937they are less though. If they get it in they are less men. Coming from a woman that’s disgusting.
Is the gay representation thing that the left is so obsessed with. Even in history books, is a way yo legitimize their beliefs and ideologies
@@F.R.F937 Some homesexuals are extremely weak, mostly the ones that want to look like girls, because girls are not like men. Some conservatives are gays too. A gay or straight person can do great things, it is not about who they sleep with it is about their individuality. The picture that you said conservatives paint about weakness in homosexuals is real, and it is real too that women are not physically stronger than men. That means women cannot do great things, of course not. Women do great things all the time. If you need a movie that show how good Alexander the Great was because he was homosexual, by the way, nothing to do why he was great. You are the definition of weak
Nope. The Greeks actually dispised effeminate "takers." It was shameful to be a bottom in ancient Greece and it was still gross to be a top.
According to the historical sources, Alexander was blonde, with one eye blue and one brown.
All I know is he made a pass at me once in a bathhouse in Aegea. I tell you more about it but he made me sign an NDA. I still have the stone it was written on somewhere here in my Larnax. Long story short, his flame is bigger than Prometheus.
LOL
No, Brett. Greeks in those days had blonde hair and blue eyes before they mixed.
Yep. Blondes were mush more likely to be lactose tolerant at that time - milk and cheese for the win.
Blue eyes were extremely common among nobility all over the world. Even Buddha had blue eyes. So Mediteranean people, certainly. Also, caucasians were a lot more spread out in the Mediteranean & even in Northern Africa & parts of the Middle East, as well as Turkey & Iran, before the Arab invasions.
Your definition of blonde and theirs is way different 😂. They weren't blonde . They had dark hair and olive skin tone . Where did you get the mixed ?
Actually, you have that confused.
The aboriginal people of the land area we call Greece had dark hair, skin and eyes. Remaining remnants of their culture has been found mainly on Crete, although some examples do exist on the mainline. (Interestingly, the Minoan Civilization which was located on Crete, is the earliest known civilization to have both multi-rooms for the general population and indoor plumbing.)
Then, around 1550 BCE, an invading force which contained people with light hair, skin and eyes, entered from the north, bringing their stratified warrior culture and language (which would eventually supplant the indigenous language and become Greek and Ancient Macedonian) and conquered the area, setting themselves up as its rulers. (Point of interest: the whole Troy saga happened during this era.)
Around 1150 BCE, a second invading force containing these light hair, skin and eyed 'foreigners' followed, again conquering the area but went one step further and also destroyed all political organization and culture, setting off a Dark Age devoid of trade, art, writing, ect which lasted over three hundred years. It was after this that the city-states rose, including Sparta and Athens, culture began to flourish again, they learned writing from the Phoenicians (Homer wrote the Iliad and Odysseus during this time of change) and the beginnings of political theory, including democracy, can be seen.
(People like to cry about the colonialism/imperialism/whatever of the British Empire but we white folk were running around conquering indigenous people long before that. Whenever you hear about traditionally dark peoples saying they have fair people too, they do. But not because it was naturally a part of their genetic heritage, it's because sometime between three to four thousand years ago, we expanded outward from the Ural Mountain area in Russia, proceeded to invade and conquer at least a segment of their land and population, supplanted whatever language was already there with our own and left them some of our DNA.)
So, given that Alexander the Great lived around eight hundred years AFTER all that, he could have had dark hair, skin and eyes or fair hair, skin and eyes or any combination of those and we won't know definitively until one of archaeologists excavating Alexandria find his body.
stupid comment
I read a biography of Alexander (Alexander the Great and His Time by Agnes Savill) and it categorically rejected the gay speculations. So I wouldn't say it's universally accepted. An extraordinary man, to be sure.
Alexander the Great WAS blonde with blue eyes. That's how he was described many times. He, of course, wasn't "straight" in the modern sense of the word but he wasn't "gay" either. He had many sons and many wifes, but his one true love was Hephaestion, a man. He also enjoyed sex with eunuchs. It's not that complicated: it's how many ancient kings behaved. And not just Alexander, but also the persian ones.
I'm gonna wait for a Metatron video about this. He is one of the few people who I trust about ancient history
He did one addressing homosexuality in ancient Greece
ua-cam.com/video/GbOKIsMuNWU/v-deo.html
He made a video about how gay ancient Greece really was (not) a few months ago and one about how Alexander looked last week (that also covered the armor/weapons visible in the preview).
Wait until you see Hallmark's casting choices for the Sense and Sensibility remake.
Netflix being Netflix! 😅😅😂
NetFlix being woke. But at least their choice was not a black person.
ps, Cleo was Macedonian too. Her great grandfather was one of Alexander's generals.
@@phillipanderson7398 But Alex was gay or at least bi, do you read history books besides American history
He had a wife too. Kinda negates him being gay. @@magicalpasta5462
What part of Cleopatra being Macedonian too and one of her great grandfathers being Alexander's generals is " American History " ?@@magicalpasta5462
@@phillipanderson7398 He also took a VERY long time to get married, and a lot of historians say he took so long because he was uninterested in women. It is quite possible he only got married because he figured he needed a male heir.
I don't think there's a way we'd ever factually know if he was gay or not. BUT, it is weird to just assume that he was 🤷🏼♂️
HOWEVER, with that being said, he very well could have been bi-sexual-especially with the evidence revealed in Brett's video. Kinda crazy, no?
She literally quoted an historian who said that Alexander passionately made out with a guy. The dude was at least bisexual.
Not weird to assume he is straight? Especially when he lived before Christianity said gay is wrong.
That’s not the issue though, the documentary is a fools work because it focuses on the figures sexuality instead of the great deeds the he did.
@amantevinluan558 You act as though Christians were the only people who ever condemned homosexuality. It was condemned by many people and tribes before Christianity came along.
Not to mention, Christianity came about during the reign of the Romans, not the Greeks.
More like bisexual. He wasn't gay. He liked both men and women.
Bro no lol he had lots of gay sex
I am Greek and I have to say that this whole thing that "Ancient Greek people were all gay" is stupid. In ancient Greece who you having sex with was no big deal like it is now. The only thing that mattered about personal relationships was family. Basically who you having your children with. So yes, Alexander the Great may have gotten in sexual acts with men but back then, what really mattered, was going into war. Basically saying do your own thing inside your bedroom but you have to fight for your country
Be aware of slanted translations, the Ancient Greece was not some gay heaven, these kinds of relations were frowned upon.
I think the only thing inaccurate here is how gentle they were being in that clip.
I have to say that the amazing Olivander from Harry Potter sums up ppl like Alexander the Great. " After all He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things...terrible, yes, but great." The thing is you can acknowledge something or someone is terrible but at the same time admit the impact of changes it made as good or bad. Ppl truly lack the ability to see nuance. We have "progressed" so far we are now regressing. It's insane.
He actually wasn't THAT bad for the time. Even spared a few cities from plunder early on. Later years he did too, but this caused resentment to build. Generally plunder, Grape and pillage was how you rewarded and paid your forces...
Hard agree!! He is “great” due to how many people he killed in such a short period of time. Nuance is key here and we can appreciate some of his character but shouldn’t shy away from scrutinizing him either
@@stillcantbesilencedevennow Yeah well been some time since I have read up on Mr Alexander here. My point was not to say he was bad. Just you can't look at something through a modern lens and say that everything he did and accomplished is null and void bc it does not meet today's standards. Plus I don't believe you get a name like Alexander the Great by the majority of ppl hating you. When I hear and see things to this extent of ppl hating on a historical figure it gets me upset. We as a country etc would not be here if not for these individuals. Regardless of what they did it was bad or good, acceptable or unacceptable. The building blocks and stepping stones they laid helped pave the way for us now. Ppl have become too self centered and wrapped up in isms, ideologies, and other bs to see beyond their noses yet scoff of dismiss great historical figures bc they did something years ago that today would hurt their feelings or get them canceled bah kick rocks.
I loved reading this (even read it in the voice 😆)
I agree with you 100%, thank you for sharing this 💕
Congrats on 4 mil!! You and your team deserve it so much!
People who think we shouldn't call Alexander the Great "Great" are idiots. He was obviously not called that because he was "great", because he was "good", he was called that because of his huge achievements. "Great" means an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above average (and his impact was above average), we didn't call the First World War the "Great War" because it was "good", it is important to understand that thee meaning has changed over time, and now something "good" is referred to as "great".
If no accounts of Alexander's sexuality existed, Netflix would have made him gay anyway.
I’m just surprised they didn’t make us Persians ebony.
There are blonde and fair skin in south Europe
As a proud Greek and a big admirer of Alexander the great, I will just say this whoever believes this need to read more history books and less woke propaganda
Ancient Greek men (not all of them of course) often had same-sex relationship with younger male most of the time. The ancient Greeks did not view sexual orientation as a social identity like how we do today. Having a male lover was fine, but they were expected to have a wife and procreate.
If you ever read Aristophanes’ “The Clouds”, homosexuality is described as an Upper Class Affectation that the lower classes thought were vaguely humorous
Help the title has me sent😭😂
Since when kissing your homie goodnight is gay?
It was also more of like a greeting and it was still looked down upon
The only thing that's always historically accurate, is we needed Jesus then, and boy do we need Him now.
I'm so tired of people lacking any kind of nuance online. You're not that single-minded in real life, you see complexity in your real world relationships and todays politics, how is it possible that that unterstanding of the world evaporates the minute you switch on a screen?? It's so nice to see Brett actually making an effort to bring real life critical thinking skills to the online commentary space.
I was looking forward to this somewhat bc I randomly saw an add for it then looked up the rating and didn’t bother
I recommend the Anabasis of Alexander by Arrian for further reading if interested!
As a Classics major, I CLICKED so fast
You know whats not historically accurate. Everyone in ancient time wearing wrist brace traps.
Ok, the Ancient Greeks were not gay. Nor were they fruity. This is a huge misconception, that comes from translations of translations. Ancient Greek to Latin, Latin to Old English, Old English to modern English. Or something like that path.
The main problem is the word Love. Greeks had several different words for Love, but we anglophones only have one. I’ll give an example of how it the misconception happens.
There was a famous unit of soldiers in Ancient Greece called the Sacred Band of Thebes that was described as a “Band of Lovers”. So many prominent historians to this day believe they were homosexual. However, because the words used about them, and the colloquialisms of the time, it could also mean that the Sacred Band was not a “Band of Lovers” but how we would use the phrase “ Band of brothers”.
It’s the same with Alexander the Great. He “loved” his friend Hephaestion. But not in a way you’d love a woman. But in a way you’d love a brother.
3:45, they compared themselves to Patroclus and Achilles (though even then it was debated if Patroclus and Achilles were homosexual or not)
Achilles and Patroclus never existed as real people. They were mthyical characters. Some ancient authors wrote them as lovers and others did not.
They we’re not lovers in the original story
@@neonsamurai4604 Mythology has no "original source".There is no agreed upon canon version of the trojan war or any mythical event for that matter. Everything the ancient Greeks believed is part of Greek Mythology. We have only the ealiest surving source, which is the iliad by Homer. But even the illiad was written down centuries after the Trojan war supposedly happened. Homer did not create Achilles as a character. The story of the Trojan War was passed down orally, and Homer is only the first person whose account we have. But even in Homer's time there would have been different accounts of the Trojan War.
@@neonsamurai4604 I know. But Plato’s Symposium interprets then as lovers even then Xenophon’s Symposium argues against this view
@@kreolado5880 Schliemann found that the Trojan War was a real phenomenon and that would imply that the people who fought in the war were real. Maybe they had the Homeric names, maybe they didn’t. Maybe they were real but so mythologized that they became basically fictional characters (like King Arthur) and maybe they weren’t. Though Plato and Xenophon did disagree as to if Patroclus and Achilles should be interpreted as a homosexual couple
"Call me by your name or alexander the great" I spit my water out
Congratulations on 4M, Brett! You and your team are completely deserving of it!
Don’t take history lessons from Brett Cooper.
Again, the race of the actors doesn't really matter. I don't care if the actor is black, white, Asian, gay etc. But when the show portrays a clear lie as truth (ie tells me that the historical personality himself was gay/black or whatever, when he wasn't) then thats just crazy
They definitely did overplay the homosexuality. Yeah he had close companions and Greeks were loose in sexual relations. However they definitely took GREAT artistic liberties in the portrayal for Modern audiences. I still liked it, binged all of the episodes in 1 night. ATLEAST they had appropriate casting... I never even bothered watching the Cleopatra Netflix doc.
About the 8:13 comment. Isn't that true though? I mean, I love Alexander's story, amazingly complicated man. Amazing conquests, amazing everything.
But should a "Great" person be one who drags his country to war, killing hundreds of thousands of enemies (soldiers and civilians) and indirectly, thousands of his own people?
I mean, I believe if we think objectively, Antoninus Pius for one (Roman emperor who started no wars and just focused on the growth of the Empire), isn't more deserving of the title "Great" than Alexander? But insted he is just known by history lovers and Alexander is "the Great".
I find it fascinating that the people we call "Great" and idolize, are the people that did what nowadays would be considered as terrible things such starting wars for x motive, but the ones who are more objectively "good" we just pass by.
Exactly. As someone who's never left Nigeria, a former colony, it's not great. We : a group of kingdoms that used to fight each other and even enslave one another, where brought together as a country and given a name without our consent. 7 years after independence, we are in a war and our loving "Mummy" UK gives their support to their favorite Northerners, (who they Nigeria with as an inheritance). And they killed a lot of people, these are just added to the people who died in precolonial resistance (ie the Benin massacre). Reparations should be done, simply return our artifacts but no!! Colonialism was great and necessary 🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️ Did you think to try another way? What if the Native Americans weren't killed? 🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️
I mean, overall it seemed accurate according to my classes besides the gay scene. I straight up skipped it but other than that it seemed accurate. I was surprised that Alexander wasn’t black.
Achilleus was in the latest Troy series...
There is no historical evidence that homosexuality was common among the ancient Greeks. Some "Historians" retelling stories have tried to make characters such as Achilles and Zeus homosexual, but the original versions of those stories do not usually include that element. No doubt some, perhaps even many Greeks were what we might call bisexual, but not only was that not a norm, it was at the tail-end of their civilization, just like the Roman Empire, leading to its ultimate collapse.
I do have to disagree. As an old-school Asatruer, we don't need Christianity to have values.
Oliver Stone's pic is still the best depiction of Alexandros III King of Macedon, even with all the gay stuff.
The battle depictions and Babylon alone take the cake...
Yes never understood why it got panned. I did not think it was too bad at all
@@glenchapman3899 The media hates him for his Vietnam record...
Alexander is not cosidered bisexual because there is no serious historical/ archaeological proof on that matter. This was not the ancient Greek way, that's LGBT+ propaganda and a way for NF to gain views and money. End of story.
Yes and no, Brett. Men who only had "relations" with men were mocked in the Hellenic world.
Next thing you know crapflix is going to tell you that Joan of Arc was transgender.
Greeks weren't "constantly fruity" ... They were using that as an insult and it was highly illegal. They even had strict dietary restrictions and religious laws. Such a society was more like fundamentalist theocracy rather than us thinking of mythology-believing party-orgy-people. Alexander was probably not a homosexual either -- he just loved his battle buddies.
Who was trying to insult them exactly?
No it wasn’t how we think of gay people in modern times. To my understanding what they didn’t except was certain types of men in the submissive role. They would definitely use that as an insult that was done against Julius. His detractors would say he was catching in his homosexual relationship which was a no no for man in his position. Romans would say that type of stuff to whoever fill in the blank. The known would probably be Nero, Caligula, Tiberius, and Elagabalus, sure more. That was just one of the insults they used. Same s3x relationships were fine they just needed fit within the social framework.
Homosexual relationships weren’t illegal you just couldn’t get married, that was definitely illegal. The Greeks were little laxed on certain aspects of this kind relationship specifically with military, even the Romans thought was weird. With all of history something’s are not out right said but implied.
I mean i remember learning alexander was gay like 15 years ago in school. Still, i think there are probably more interesting things the netflix show could focus on
why do christians and conservatives allways have to cry about boys kissing, its no huge deal
Why do people get so offended by the possibility of Alexander having a relationship with Heph??? There was more explicit scene of Alex and Stateira but nobody bats an eye. It's not like the documentary focuses on their relationship either. Gay people literally can't just exist without people acting like its some sort of propaganda or "wokeness". its not that deep you'll be fine
Because it distorts their Idea of what an ideal male figure can be, they obsess over these male figures like super heroes or fictional characters and are shocked when their childish expectations do not reflect reality.
I have the feeling that producers think if they don’t put any gay or lesbian love scene in the first episode of a new series it won’t be successful. Just sad.
The problem is that modern shows and movies revolve solely around sexuality. They are more concerned about how bent Alexander the Great was, and not about his exploits. Imagine centering a series around sexuality when the protagonist is literally the greatest conquerer of all time.
Well ... he was Greek, and they call it "going Greek " so ...
He was bisexual not homosexual
Distinction without a difference.
Do you have any proof ? No historical evidence of that
I agree. He was gay.
@@dimitri3638Dicaearchus, who was Alexander's contemporary, claimed that Alexander"was quite excessively keen on boys. He and Pluatch reccounted an event in which Alexander kissed the eunuch Bagoas in public: "We are told, too, that he was once viewing some contests in singing and dancing, being well heated with wine, and that the Macedonians' favourite, Bagoas, won the prize for song and dance, and then, all in his festal array, passed through the theatre and took his seat by Alexander's side; at sight of which the Macedonians clapped their hands and loudly bade the king kiss the victor, until at last he threw his arms about him and kissed him tenderly."(Plutarch, Alexander 67,8.)Bagoas is mentioned for the last time in 324 BC. According to Curtius Rufus, he brought about the execution of Orxines, satrap of Persis, because the latter is said to have refused to pay homage to the "whore of Alexander"(Curtius Rufus 10,1,22-38.).Aelian writes of Alexander's visit to Troy where "Alexander garlanded the tomb of Achilles, and Hephaestion that of Patroclus, the latter hinting that he was a beloved of Alexander, in just the same way as Patroclus was of Achilles."(Aelian, "7", Varia Historia, vol. XI)
I agree with you Brett, one thing to share is that when we discuss Alexander we have to acknowledge that he killed a lot of people in the pursuit of ambition. Nonetheless, he is still a critical figure and the scholarship should accurately portray him as a nuanced character. Love your work!!!
EVERYBODY was killing a lot of people in those times.
@@el_killorcure not everyone was! A lot of the people we study were! And when we look at someone like Alexander who led an unprecedented conquest, the numbers are, as one would expect, on an unprecedented scale!
@@iiathex Somebody needs to read up on Genghis Khan and Tamerlane to know what genocidal conquerors actually looked like...
@@el_killorcure *sigh* i made a statement that Alexander killed a lot of people. Which he did. I’m not comparing him to anyone.
@@iiathex You made it sound like he set out to kill people just because or went out of his way to gorge himself in blood, like the Mongols or the Ottomans or the Umayyad Caliphate.
Like pointing fingers at the West for the Transatlantic slave trade while ignoring the even bigger Muslim slave trade...
Classicist here: homosexuality was a part of ancient greek society (depends on the location/culture as this is a large period of history and geography). According to some sources Alexander had both female and male concubines. But at the end of the day, these people would have been there to serve him regardless of sexual "uses". I take the same mindset that I do with Achilles. There's conflicting evidence about sexual orientation but at the end of the day there's two things you have to consider: 1) their identity was not found in their sexual orientation, so the cultural mindset was very different.
2) there was no moral reason for why a powerful leader couldn't have female and male concubines/sex slaves (unlike the Judeo-Christian beliefs) - in the case of Patroclus, it could go either way (friend or lover) but sexuality doesn't define these people
At the end of the day, I wouldn't exactly call it a positive representation of modern sensibilities when concubines/sex slaves and other such people hardly had any rights 🤷
Honestly, I don't blame people for being skeptical. You can't trust any of these documentaries. People are so obsessed with labels now that they find any excuse to call someone gay or trans.