A new Discovery+ show, geared toward young audiences, portrays former President Abraham Lincoln as a pioneering “queer” hero and said iconic Italian sculptor Michelangelo would “stroke more Adam than Eve,” among other things. Indeed, The Book of Queer refers to Catholic Saint Joan of Arc as “non-binary.”
Discovery+ released its first-look featurette for The Book of Queer, a docuseries an LGBTQIA2S+ five-episode variety show that claims to tell “the story of multiple historic and groundbreaking queer individuals throughout history,” according to a report by Variety.
“If you want to learn about the world’s queer exciting truth, we’ll help you dig it up like an academic sleuth,” an actor can be heard singing in the trailer for The Book of Queer. “Hidden in these pages are stories fit for stages that inform us and engage us; shine a light on the dark ages.”
The trailer goes on to make wild claims about President Lincoln being “queer,” Italian Sculptor “strok[ing] more Adam than Eve,” and calls Joan of Arc “non-binary,” among other things.
Watch Below:
“You thought Mayor Pete was one of a kind, well he wasn’t even the first. Abe Lincoln was a queer commander-in-chief,” the trailer continues. “You better believe, Michelangelo stroked more Adam than Eve.”
The idea that President Lincoln was homosexual, however, has been debunked by historians.
In a 2017 interview with The Daily Beast, historian Charles Strozier said Lincoln’s relationship with his best friend Joshua Speed was not sexual as left-wing activists often try to claim.
“I think the historical context is really important to understand,” Strozier said. “In the 19th century, the taboo of homosexuality is absolutely rigid. Whitman was gay. He had to stay in the closet. Sodomy, buggery, was illegal and severely prescribed.”
“But friendship, intimate, loving friendship like that between Lincoln and Speed, was not only accepted but encouraged as the long as the boundary against sexualization was rigidly and absolutely maintained,” the historian explained, describing 19th century customs.
Nonetheless, The Book of Queer is set to launch on Discovery+ June 2, at the beginning of Pride Month. The show’s producers claim to have worked with and relied on 18 historians for purposes of factual accuracy in the claims made in each episode.
The episode Kings & Queens will feature stories about President Lincoln, Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, and gay rights activist and socialist Bayard Rustin.
Sashay It Forward will involve stories about Lenardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, blues singer Ma Rainey, English mathematician Alan Turing, astronaut Sally Ride, and computer scientist Lynn Conway.
Queens’ Work Makes the Team Work will tell the children stories about The Sacred Band of Thebes, Alexander the Great, baseball player Glenn Burke, gay rights leader Harvey Milk, drag queen José Sarria, rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker, and the “Rainbow Flag.”
Gay to Z will feature stories about King James, poet Sappho, artist We’Wha, and a transgender individual, Harry Allen, who died in 1922. Pride or Die will involve stories about entertainer Josephine Baker, Joan of Arc, singer Stormé DeLarverie, and activists Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson.
As Breitbart News previously reported, Discovery+ will be launching another LGBTQIA2S+-related series for pride month, called Generation Drag, which will follow five teens — each about 15-years-old — and their journeys into the world of drag.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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