He's also one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
“So what’s the story here?”
Off the top of my head, I think:
Leonardo is a white man, a genius, an icon of western culture.
Any form of soiling Leonardo, can also be seen as reflecting negatively on white men and western culture.
I know, it’s a bit conspiratorial, but I do notice that there has been a lot of academic activity trying to discredit geniuses from Beethoven to Columbus.
He's also one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
As someone who really studies the life and art of Leonardo, I have been horrified by the co-opting of the poor man by gay men. I have been told over and over by gays that Leo was “gay” and living a “gay lifestyle.” The utter lack of culture among modern homosexuals is stunning. Most of them think that Leonardo and Michelangelo lived together and spent their off hours at the Renaissance equivalent of Home Depot.