New documentary ‘Lover of Men’ examines Abraham Lincoln’s sexuality (exclusive)

Abraham Lincoln’s love life is examined in more detail.

PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the trailer for the upcoming documentary Lover of Men: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincolnwhich offers a look into the private life of the 19th century president and examines Lincoln’s relationships with men before he was elected president in 1860.

The film was directed by filmmaker Shaun Peterson. Lovers of men features interviews with over a dozen scholars, historians and experts on Lincoln’s life. The trailer emphasizes his almost mythical status in American culture.

“Lover of men examines the private life of America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln,” says an official synopsis of the upcoming film. “Narrated by eminent Lincoln scholars and using never-before-seen photographs and letters, the film details Lincoln’s romantic relationships with men.”

The film uses historical evidence of Lincoln’s romantic relationships to then “broaden its view of the history of human sexual fluidity and focus on the profound differences between the sexual mores of the 19th century and ours today,” the synopsis states.

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“The film fills in an important missing piece of American history and challenges audiences to consider why we have such a limited view of human sexuality,” the film’s synopsis concludes.Lovers of men is not only an examination of gender roles and sexual identity, but also serves to examine American intolerance.”

Lincoln’s sexuality has been examined over the years, including in a 1999 article in salon Magazine and a book by author Clarence Arthur Tripp from 2005 entitled The intimate world of Abraham Lincolnamong other things.

“Years of work… my passion project has come to life,” filmmaker Peterson wrote about the film on Instagram in May.

Lover of Men: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln will soon be in cinemas nationwide.