ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the misrepresentation of lesbian serial killers in the media and the consequences of these portrayals. We used an in-depth critical analysis of two cases: The “Monster” Aileen Wuornos and the lesser-known case of the “Lethal Lovers,” Gwendolyn Graham and Cathy Wood. Employing the lenses of intersectionality, the social construction of gender, feminist pathways perspective, and the evil woman vs. chivalry hypotheses, we used mainstream media sources to contextualize the layered identities and histories of polyvictimization of queer women violent offenders. Through our examination of films and television shows, we found that the media demonized the women without analysis of their lived experience with trauma and abuse over their life course. Further, media portrayals tend to emphasize stereotypical masculine traits in their depictions of these lesbian women. We conclude by discussing queer women and their disproportionate likelihood of receiving a capital punishment sentence compared to heterosexual women, further highlighting the link between homophobia in the media and in the criminal legal system.
