Minerva Academy delivers Netflix’s sexiest & most nuanced bisexual story arc yet

School is in session at Minvera Academy, and these kids are learning a lot more than the books teach them.

Netflix’s new Italian coming-of-age drama Minvera Academy just dropped this week and is centered around Minerva Military High School and its students, as they grapple with a variety of issues.

As is par for the course for any teen series, we see the students navigate discipline, school hierarchies, and—you guessed it!—sexuality.

Throughout the series Salvo Fusco (Ciro Minopoli) seeks to discover the truth about his friend Francesco’s disappearance. During his search, Salvo meets Diego (Simone Secce), who is also holding onto some secrets.

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When we first meet Diego, he is dating Rachele. While their relationship seems secure, we see hime develop feeling for Camila, a new recruit at Minerva.

Spoiler alert! Diego and Camila later have a rendezvous of their own. And of course, while Diego might fit the straight boy player archetype that has existed in teen dramas since the dawn of television, there is a bit more than meets the eye.

Before Francesco (Luigi Bruno) disappeared, Diego and Francesco took pictures together at a party. While in the photobooth, the two shared a kiss. Diego, having never experienced attraction toward another boy, struggles with these feelings, and the struggle is magnified when Francesco disappears.

This does not necessarily mean Diego’s feelings toward Rachele and Camila weren’t real. But it does indicate that Diego may be bisexual or pansexual.

We’ll keep the details of the rest of the season to a minimum, as the story takes quite a few twists and turns, but the series arrives in time for Bisexual Visibility Month and is getting a lot of buzz online. 

Granted, while the series has its dark moments, it’s refreshing to have a bisexual storyline that feels complex and nuanced.

Some may argue that one’s sexuality shouldn’t be used as a plot twist, but Diego’s alleged queerness goes deeper than most teen dramas, as viewers see him understand that these feelings weren’t limited to sex. Diego may have had romantic feelings toward Francesco.

The season ends with a good amount of questions answered, but room to explore more. All eight episodes of Minerva Academy season 1 are currently available to stream on Netflix. A second season has not yet been announced.

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