Netflix has been forced to remove the LGBTQ+ tag on their new series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, amid intense backlash.
The series - which recounted the life of infamous serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer over 10 episodes, depicted in graphic detail how he brutally murdered and subsequently dismembered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991.
Often referred to as the "Milwaukee Monster", Dahmer also claims to have engaged in cannibalism and necrophilia with the bodies of his victims, the youngest of whom was only 14 years old.
It has long been argued that Dahmer was able to evade police suspicion due to the fact that his victims were often queer men - with the majority of them being Black, Latinx, or Asian.
Since its release on September 21, the fictional retelling has already shocked and disturbed many viewers, with one person taking to Twitter to call the show "so sick".
Now, it seems viewers have taken issue with another aspect of the show - namely, Netflix's decision to categorize the true crime series as LGBTQ+ on their streaming platform.
The show was also tagged with ominous, psychological, horror, 1970s, and TV.
One person tweeted: "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?"
Another Twitter user added: "Netflix added the Jeffrey Dahmer series to the LGBTQ+ tag. I am gobsmacked."
While another wrote: "Why did Netflix think tagging their Jeffery Dahmer documentary with the 'LGBT+' tag would be a good idea?"
Amid the backlash, Netflix has removed the LGBTQ+ tag from the series. Still, that hasn't quelled the negative responses, with many of the show's viewers accusing others of "romanticizing" Dahmer, due to the fact that he is portrayed by heartthrob Evan Peters.
"Evan Peters is a brilliant actor. Don’t let his outstanding performance let you forget that Jeffrey Dahmer was a real and evil person. Don’t romanticize him. The show is 'good' but it is not a good story and there is not a happy ending," someone said.
Though, Peters has simultaneously received glowing praise from many who viewed the show, with one person disagreeing that his portrayal of Dahmer was romanticized: "They did do good [in my opinion]!"
"Evan Peters, from what I've seen, actively fought for the character to not be romanticized, and refused to do it as a POV [because] he wanted it to be more of a tribute to the victims/families than to Dahmer himself. I think they did a pretty damn good job," they added.
Ensuring the show was sensitive to the trauma Dahmer inflicted on his victims and their families was an important factor to Peters and the show's creators, with Peters telling Netflix: "It was so jaw-dropping that it all really happened that it felt important to be respectful to the victims, to the victims' families, to try to tell the story as authentically as we could.
"And you need to have certain plot points because he did do these things, but you don't need to embellish them."
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