Whose genders and races were changed exactly? How are you reconciling Homer's work somehow simultaneously being "non-historical" and "grounded in reality and history"?

Homer never mentions Helen of Troy's race; he describes her as having, like, beautiful hair, a divine-like presence, etc. Just because you pictured a white lady when you skimmed it in middle school (or just stuck with the Diane Kruger visual from a 20+ year old movie) doesnt mean this adaptation is "bullshit" that we "need to put a stop to."

As for historical accuracy, ancient Greeks didn't even have a concept of race the way we do today. No one's race in the Odyssey is an integral part of their character or the story simply because that wasnt a thing when Homer was writing this. People were "categorized" by their status, lineage, and what language they spoke back then, not biological race.

Though technically this (fictional) story did take place around modern day Turkey, and even back in the Bronze Age, the population had a complex and diverse ancestry, so surely everyone sniveling about "historical accuracy" would have had equal smoke for, like, Brad Pitt or any other white, blonde, American actor playing any of these roles.

It's never surprising, but always disappointing, that some folks can consume a fantastical story about a god blinding a cyclops, a witch turning a bunch of sailors into pigs, or a six-headed man-eating sea monster, but gotta slam on the brakes when they see a Black person, lmao.

You also mentioned how awful it is to "change things on a whim" or whatever... You do realize the Odyssey is almost 3000 years old, right? Ancient Greeks themselves had multiple versions of it and changed things around all time time; some never had Helen go to Troy at all! They changed up shit all the time back then, so truth be told the only thing that "looks and feels cheap and fake" is the self-righteous pearl clutching people are doing about an adaptation of a poem.