Netflix hit with backlash after tagging Jeffrey Dahmer series as ‘LGBTQ’
Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer in the Netflix series. (Netflix)
Netflix has been criticised after viewers noticed its gruesome new Jeffrey Dahmer series was given an ‘LGBTQ’ tag by the streaming service.
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which dropped on Netflix on Wednesday (21 September), tells the story of the Milwaukee serial killer’s crimes that spanned between 1978 and 1991.
The Ryan Murphy series sees American Horror Story star Evan Peters play Dahmer, who was convicted of murdering 17 men, many underage and people of colour.
Crime has always been a popular category for Netflix documentaries as the streaming platform has produced several series on the subject in the past. However, some viewers have criticised the streamer for also tagging Dahmer as part of its LGBTQ+ content.
A TikTok user posted a clip of the series as it appeared on Netflix with the tags ‘Ominous’, ‘Psychological’, ‘Horror’ and ‘LGBTQ’. They questioned “why the f**k” Netflix made the decision to tag the series as LGBTQ+ content and said this is “not the representation we’re looking for”.
One person commented on the video saying that Netflix may have done it as it was “something that greatly impacted the LGBTQ community” and wondered if it might be for “educational purposes”.
@mynameisntliz
There was also backlash against Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story being tagged as LGBTQ+ content on Twitter, with one person saying the decision was “so f**ked”.
imagine clicking on the "LGBTQ" category and this is what you get pic.twitter.com/DenEW0DzOd— Quinton Reviews – #1 GARFIELD FAN 🎬 (@Q_Review) September 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/Paisleymdavis/status/1572984060313767938
The fact that they have this Dahmer docuseries under LGBT is really taking me OUT 😭😭😭— spaghettii cowboy 𐚁 🇵🇸 (@2rystn) September 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/tamponxteabag/status/1572712749410680833
https://twitter.com/mcwexlercoded/status/1572717251354296321
https://twitter.com/Ivel_c/status/1572637257659744262
PinkNews has contacted Netflix for comment.
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is told through the lives of the victims who were impacted by the systemic racism and institutional failures of the police that allowed Dahmer to continue his killing spree. It also focuses on errors made by law enforcement during their hunt for Dahmer.
Dahmer met many of his victims at bus stops, bars, bookstores and shopping malls. His murders involved dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism with Dahmer later becoming known as the Milwaukee Cannibal.
Dahmer’s crimes left a lasting mark on Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ community. BJ Daniels, a drag performer, told WISN that he remembered working in the city during Dahmer’s crime spree.
Daniels performed at what used to be Club 219, a gay bar where Dahmer targeted victims. The drag performer remembered one woman asking if he had seen her son – who later turned out to be one of Dahmer’s victims – while performing at Pride Fest in 1991.
“A woman came up to me and we were in drag, so she knew we were drag queens, and she said ‘have you seen my son?’ and she held up a little snapshot,” Daniels said. “Come to find out this young man she showed me a photo of was one of the victims.”
Daniels felt the documentary “fetishises this whole horrible moment in Milwaukee history”.
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is available to watch on Netflix now.
