Why Netflix Should Have Never Labeled 'Dahmer' An LGBTQ+ Series

Since its debut on September 21, 2022, Ryan Murphy's latest offering on Netflix has stirred up a lot of controversy. Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story sought out to tell the story of the notorious serial killer from the perspective of the victims and, with that, tell the story from behind a lens that we haven't really seen before. Lead actor Evan Peters even said in promotional content for the series that the show wasn't even about Jeffrey Dahmer, despite his name being in the title twice.

Unfortunately for Ryan Murphy and his golden actor, that isn't really what happened.

The story told through the series is not only 100% focused on Dahmer himself, but it is focused on a bigger picture of not just him, but his victims - the LGBTQ+ community. We know this because despite criticism, Netflix tagged this series as an LGBTQ+ series.

The bottom line is, this series should have never been labeled as a gay series. You can't deny the fact that Jeffrey Dahmer was a gay man who targeted his own community to commit his crimes. But that's just it... he targeted the LGBTQ+ community, specifically men of color.

Historically, people have linked homosexuality with some pretty nasty things. Whether it's pedophilia, disease, or violence, if there's a negative stereotype to be had, people have tried to attach it to gay communities worldwide. You know another thing that can be stereotyped now? Murder and cannibalism.

By labeling this series as an LGBTQ+ series, you're basically pushing more queer trauma for entertainment. You are using the victims who were simply trying to live their lives for entertainment and to push people's obsession with serial killers to another level. Not only that, but you are implying that what Jeffrey Dahmer did is LGBTQ+ culture. You're implying that what he did what represents us as a community.

The concern is that by labeling this series the way Netflix did is that gay stereotypes will be re-enforced. Given the current political climate with bills like Don't Say Gay in Florida and attacks on transgender youth across the country, the concern is the connection to Jeffrey Dahmer will just toss fuel onto the fire.

Typically, LGBTQ+ sections on streaming services are meant to be safe havens. They are sections where you can find stories that represent you and make you feel valid and safe. We don't go to these sections to see queer trauma stories. We don't go there to see dramatizations of gay men being sexually assaulted, murdered, decapitated, and eaten - because that's exactly what Dahmer did.

Because of this backlash, Netflix has removed the tag from the series and it now is tagged under "Crime TV Shows," "Social Issues TV Dramas," and "TV Dramas." It doesn't erase what was initially done with tagging the show as LGBTQ+ but it is a step in the right direction.

Hopefully this serves as a lesson for Ryan Murphy, as he (in my opinion) continues to misrepresent his own community. With shows like this Dahmer series as well as Glee, American Horror Story, and more, he has pushed a lot of harmful stereotypes and exploited a lot of trauma. All so he can keep making TV shows.

While it is important to recognize that Jeffrey Dahmer and his actions are intrinsically queer, to morph the show into a typical trauma-fest was unnecessary. Especially when viewers were told repeatedly that it wasn't going to be what it turned out to be. If the show itself would have actually been about the victims, the LGBTQ+ tag could have been justified. But aside from the one episode dedicated mostly to Tony Hughes, it remained to be about Dahmer, his actions, and how he preyed upon the community. Not about how the community suffered.