dahmer backlash lgbt© Photo: Netflix

Netflix makes major change to Jeffrey Dahmer series after criticism from viewers

We're shocked that the streaming site did this in the first place…

TV & Film Writer
September 27, 2022

Have you been watching new true crime drama, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story? The ten-part series stars Evan Peters as one of America's most notorious serial killers and chronicles how he carried out his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade.

MORE: Who were Jeffrey Dahmer's victims and what have their families said about the Netflix show?

In the week since its release on Netflix, the show has sparked criticism from both viewers and the surviving families of some of Dahmer's victims for its truly disturbing content. There has also been a backlash from viewers after they noticed that the show had been tagged LGBTQ on the streaming site, prompting Netflix to remove it from that category.

WATCH: Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes have been examined in the new Netflix series

Upon its release on Wednesday 21 September, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was categorised by the site under the tags ominous, psychological, horror, and bafflingly, LGBTQ, which is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.

MORE: 7 best crime documentaries on Netflix that are a must-watch

MORE: Who plays Jeffrey Dahmer in Netflix's Monster? Inside Evan Peters' chilling transformation

As a result, those exploring the LGBTQ category on the site would have had it come up under new releases in that category, while others who had previously watched other LGBTQ titles had it suggested to them. Many viewers took to Twitter and TikTok to call out the streaming giant. As one TikTok user said, the series is "not the representation we're looking for".

© Photo: Netflix

Viewers criticised the show after noticing that it had been tagged 'LGBTQ'

Another wrote on Twitter: "They put the new Jeffrey Dahmer series under the LGBTQ tag and I am disgusted. IT'S NOT AN LGBTQ STORY LIKE WTF," while someone else said: "Netflix added the Jeffrey Dahmer series to the LGBTQ+ tag. I am gobsmacked."

A fourth asked: "Why did @netflix think tagging their Jeffery Dahmer documentary with the "LGBT+" tag would be a good idea?"

© Photo: Netflix

Evan Peters plays Jeffrey Dahmer in the series

It appears that as of Tuesday 27 September 2022 - six days after the drama's debut - Netflix has removed the tag from the show, meaning it will no longer appear under the LGBTQ category or as a related title to other LGBTQ shows.

MORE: Monster: what happened to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer?

As viewers who have watched the show will know, Dahmer's crimes left a lasting mark on the LGBTQ+ community in Milwaukee, where 15 of the 17 murders he carried out took place. He preyed on men, typically of Black, Asian, or Latino descent and was methodical in the way he sought them out, picking them up at gay bars, malls, and bus stops in and around the Wisconsin city.

He was apprehended in 1991 after one of his victims managed to escape his apartment and find help from two police officers. He began his prison sentence on 1 May 1992, serving 15 consecutive life sentences for the murders. Two years later, he was beaten to death by a fellow inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institute.

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