11 best LGBTQ+ true crime docs and where to watch them
| 05/16/25
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True crime documentaries 'The Staircase,' 'Tiger King,' and 'Tickled.'Netflix; Magnolia PicturesWe love heartfelt LGBTQ+ dramas, lesbian action movies, and hilarious women-led comedies as much as the next person, but sometimes we want to sink our teeth into a queer true crime documentary.
True crime has been all the rage for years, but who wants to let the straights have all the fun? There are plenty of bizarre, entertaining, and bingeable true crime documentaries out there exploring the life and crimes of queer people. From tickling competitions to porn shops being investigated by the FBI to gay serial killers and criminal big cat lovers, there is a doc for every taste.
So check out these 11 incredibly entertaining Be Gay Do Crime documentaries!
The Staircase
The Staircase
Netflix
One of highest rated true crime documentaries out there, this eight-part series follows the case of bisexual author Michael Peterson who was accused of murdering his wife. Most true crimes documentaries are looking from the outside in after a case has already been investigated and brought to trial, but The Staircase gives you an inside look at the investigation and how both the defense and prosecution builds their case, as well as the devastation the trial wrecks on the defendants life and that of his family. The series not only shows you the trial, but also explores how homophobia impacted the case. Once you’ve watched the whole series, you should do a deep dive on all of the alternative theories of the crime. Our favorite theory? It was an owl. No, seriously.
Where to watch: Netflix
Tiger King
Tiger King
Netflix
If you’ve never seen Tiger King, the wild documentary series that was on everyone’s lips during the early days of the pandemic lockdown, you need to fix that immediately. Compulsively watchable, Tiger King captivated the world by following the life and crimes of gay big cat “lover” Joe Exotic, his arch enemy Carole Baskin, and the cult-leader-like zookeeper Doc Antle. It’s a story stranger than fiction, and when you start to think that a drug king pin might be the sanest person in the docuseries, you know you’re in for a wild ride. And if you can’t get enough, there is now a second season too.
Where to watch: Netflix
Reflections of the Past
Reflections of the Past
Charmed Productions
Reflections of the Past tells the story of teenagers Pauline Parker and Juliet Hume who killed Pauline's mother, Honora, in 1954 when the young teens were being threatened with being separated. The true crime was also the basis of the Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet starring cult classic Heavenly Creatures.
Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime
Mister Organ
Mister Organ
Netflix
Mister Organ is a New Zealand documentary about director and journalist David Farrier getting caught up in a game of cat and mouse while investigating the mysterious Mister Organ, who has been wreaking havoc in his neighborhood. The three-year-long investigation uncovers bizarre claims of royal bloodlines, ruined lives, and a series of crimes.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files
IFC Films
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files tells the story of notorious gay serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer by using archival footage, re-enactments, and interviews with the medical examiner, lead detective, and Dahmer’s next door neighbor. Dahmer was convicted of murdering 17 men and boys and dismembering their bodies and the documentary explores the days surrounding Dahmer’s crimes first being discovered and shows restraint while not shying away from the true horrors of his crimes.
Where to watch: Netflix
Tickled
Tickled
Magnolia Pictures
One of the strangest and most watchable documentaries on this list, Tickled follows journalist David Farrier as he uncovers the strange and homoerotic world of competitive tickling. Yes, tickling. The deeper he dives into the bizarre subculture, the weirder things get as he begins investigating the man behind the competitions. Once you’re hooked on this doc — trust us, you will be — then check out the sequel special, The Tickle King, that explores the equally strange aftermath of the documentary premiering.
Where to watch: Tubi, PlutoTV, Fandango at Home
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez
FX
This 10-part documentary goes into the details of how Aaron Hernandez went from an NFL superstar to being convicted of murder of Odin Lloyd. The intense Ryan Murphy-produced series is based onthe Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. podcast from The Boston Globe. The docuseries goes into great detail about Hernandez’s life and crimes, and how his bisexuality and traumatic brain injury impacted what happened.
Where to watch: Hulu
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer
Creative Commons via Wikipedia
If you’re a fan of serial killer movies, you’ve probably seen Monster starring Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci, but you may not know the true story behind the award-winning movie that not only showed the murder spree, but the love story between the two women. Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer tells the story of sex worker Aileen Wuornos who has been dubbed “America’s first female serial killer” and director Nick Broomfield’s attempts to interview Wuornos who was accused of a brutal string of murders.
Where to watch: YouTube
John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise
John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise
Peacock
This six-part documentary series explore the murder spree of infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who raped and killed at least 33 teenage boys and young men in the ‘70s. John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise tells the story of the murders, Gacy’s sexuality, his life as a clown, and how he hid bodies in the crawl space under his house, and includes the words of the killer himself
Where to watch: Peacock
Circus of Books
Circus of Books
Netflix
The fascinating and fun documentary about a Jewish couple who ran Circus of Books, an adult book store that became the epicenter for gay L.A. and by the ’80s had become the largest distributors of gay porn in the U.S. the doc shows shows the cultural significance of the store to the gay community, the double life the owners had to lead at at time when the LGBTQ+ community wasn’t accepted, how the story became a refuge during the height of the AIDS crisis, and the their brush with the law when they faced jail time on federal obscenity charges.
Where to watch: Netflix
American Experience: The Perfect Crime
American Experience: The Perfect Crime
Creative Commons via Wikipedia
This PBS documentary tells the story of two of the most famous gay killers of all time: Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. Leopold and Loeb were deathly, upper-class college students who planned and executed child abductions and murders just to prove they were smart enough to get away with it. The infamous case has inspired countless movies and books, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, and continues to take up space in the popular imagination.
Where to watch: PBS
