Netflix Ditches 'Dahmer' LGBTQ Tag Following Backlash: 'It's Pretty Gross'

After getting hit with viewer backlash, Netflix has removed an LGBTQ tag from the new limited series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

It's unclear when, exactly, the streaming giant ditched the show's LGBTQ label or why Dahmer received it in the first place. But the real Dahmer long preyed upon the Milwaukee LGBTQ scene, and some critics have accused law enforcement of failing to act because of stigma surrounding victims' sexuality.

Dahmer stars Evan Peters as the infamous serial killer who murdered at least 17 men and boys—many of whom were people of color—from 1978 to 1991. Dahmer was later killed in prison in 1994 by another inmate.

Filmmaker Ryan Murphy, who co-created Dahmer, also worked with Peters on other projects, such as American Horror Store and Pose.

Even though the LGBTQ tag has since been removed, social media users have widely condemned Netflix's decision to label Dahmer that way in the first place.

"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?" wrote Twitter user @FrancesMFDanger.

"[I]magine clicking on the 'LGBTQ' category and this is what you get," YouTuber Quinton Reviews wrote in a tweet.

And another Twitter user spelled out their thoughts on the controversy in all capital letters.

"IF YOU TOLD ME NETFLIX WAS PUTTING A JEFFREY DAHMER BIOPIC IN THE LGBT SECTION I WOULD LITERALLY LAUGH AT YOU WHAT TIMELINE ARE WE IN," user @mcwexlercoded tweeted.

One TikTok user also responded in anger to seeing Netflix's LGBTQ label on Dahmer.

"Why the f**k did Netflix tag the Jeffrey Dahmer [series] LGBTQ? Like I know it's technically true, but this is not the representation we're looking for," said user @lizthelezbo.

Dahmer, which premiered last Wednesday, has grappled with fallout on social media before. As the limited series was set to be released, many Twitter users warned others against "romanticizing" Peters in the character, instead encouraging viewers to honor the real victims.

The show's murder scenes have been criticized by viewers for being unnecessarily brutal. And some of the victims' family members have slammed the series, too.

Rita Isbell, whose 19-year-old brother was murdered by Dahmer in 1991, spoke with Insider about how upsetting the ordeal has been. Filmmakers recreated a courtroom scene where Isbell screamed at Dahmer as he was on trial.

"When I saw some of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself—when I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said," Isbell told Insider.

"If I didn't know any better, I would've thought it was me," she continued. "Her hair was like mine, she had on the same clothes. That's why it felt like reliving it all over again. It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then."

Some in the Milwaukee queer community also feel squeamish about the show. Drag performer B.J. Daniels told a local news outlet that he was once approached by the mother of one of the victims as she searched for her son.

"I feel like it fetishizes this whole horrible moment in Milwaukee history," he told WISN last week. "It shouldn't be looked at it that way. It just feels completely wrong."

Newsweek has reached out to Netflix for comment.