Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes banned by LGBTQ+ bars in serial killer’s hometown
Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes banned by LGBTQ+ bars in notorious killer’s hometown (eBay/Getty Images)
Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes have been banned by several LGBTQ+ bars in the evil serial killer’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Cannibal and sex offender Dahmer murdered at least 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, many of whom were young, gay and Black. He usually drugged, raped and strangled his victims before mutilating their bodies.
With the release of the Netflix drama series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, several people voiced their concerns that the “Milwaukee cannibal” would become a popular Halloween costume.
Now, several LGBTQ+ bars in the town, including D.I.X. Milwaukee and This Is It, have banned the costumes in their venues.
“We understand there’s a generation out there that did not live this situation. They may not understand the severity of how it affected the community,” D.I.X. Milwaukee manager Eric Hamilton said, according to ABC7.
“We don’t want to put patrons in the situation where they would have to see or relive something that they had to truly experience,” Hamilton added.
This Is It said on Facebook: “We reserve the right to refuse access to anyone wearing hateful, racist and otherwise disrespectful costume choices.
“This includes anyone dressed as Dahmer.”
eBay previously banned the sale of Halloween costumes inspired by Dahmer, with a spokesperson claiming the site was “actively removing” listings of costumes in the killer’s likeness.
im just gon go head and say it, put the jeffrey dahmer costumes back in the closet. we ain’t having it!!!!!!— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) October 19, 2022
The mother of one of Dahmer’s victims has previously described her devastation at the idea party-goers will dress up as the serial killer for Halloween.
When it was first released, the series attracted criticism, with the families of the victims claiming the show had “retraumatised” them.
Shirley Hughes, the mother of victim Tony Hughes, has spoken about people dressing as the killer.
“It’s already super triggering to see a hit Netflix series about the serial killer, much less folks dressing like the killer,” she told TMZ.
Hughes, 85, added in an interview with The Guardian that she is still grieving for her son, and that the Netflix series did not paint an accurate picture of what happened to him.
“It didn’t happen like that,” Hughes, played by Karen Malina White in the show, said.
“I don’t see how they can do that. I don’t see how they can use our names.”
Hughes’ son Tony was deaf and non-vocal, and was killed when he was 31 on 24 May, 1991. The young, gay aspiring model was Dahmer’s 12th victim.
His mother gave the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for “I love you” at Dahmer’s trial, after reading a poem she wrote for her late son.
