The new Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story might be the streaming service's most controversial project of the year. Helmed by American Horror Story director Ryan Murphy, Dahmer stars Emmy winner Evan Peters as the infamous Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer — who brutally murdered and devoured 17 people, many of whom were young and queer men of color.
The series bizarrely falls under the LGBTQ category, mainly due to Dahmer's victims being queer or simply because of the serial killer's own sexuality. For reference, other Netflix shows under the LGBTQ category are Heartstopper, AJ The Queen, and Sex Education.
Of course, it wasn't long until the fans noticed the odd categorization of the series, calling out Netflix on social media to criticize the decision.
One user On TikTok admitted that it’s “technically true” to label the series “LGBTQ,” given Dahmer's sexual identity, “but this is not the representation we’re looking for.”
One Twitter user wrote: “No way they put an LGBTQ tag on the new Dahmer series like PLEASE."
Another Twitter user added: “If I need to stay in my lane absolutely tell me but anyone else think it’s pretty gross of Netflix to list Dahmer under LGBTQ, especially when the True Crime tag would have worked?”
Imagine browsing through Netflix's LGBTQ category and then stumbling upon a series about a serial killer who murdered and ate all of his victims, that could be downright disturbing. Aside from Dahmer's sexual identity, tagging the show as LGBTQ doesn't really signify anything from the series.
Amid the massive backlash, Netflix has finally removed the LBGTQ tag from Dahmer, and its new tag includes Crime TV Shows, Social Issue TV Dramas, and TV Dramas.
Despite the swirling controversies, Dahmer still acquired an impressive 196.2 million viewership record, making it Netflix's most successful premiere since Stranger Things season 4.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is streaming on Netflix.
Also read: What Netflix Got Right About Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
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