Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story, the latest entry in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s crime anthology, is drawing backlash from LGBTQ viewers for its portrayal of closeted Psycho star Anthony Perkins. In the series, director Alfred Hitchcock (Tom Hollander) suggests that Perkins’ hidden sexuality mirrors Ed Gein’s “base urges”—a comparison critics say equates queerness with sickness and violence. The show even crosscuts scenes of Perkins and Gein dressing in women’s clothing, implying a disturbing parallel. The depiction of Perkins’ therapy scenes, where conversion therapy is portrayed as a “cure,” has further fueled outrage.
