Review: The Assassination of Versace and The Homophobia Still Affecting Us

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If you haven't watched any of American Crime Story on Netflix, what are you doing with your life? Both O.J Simpson vs The People and The Assassination of Gianni Versace were amazing, so get on that!

Anyway, when it came to watching Versace, I appreciated how they slipped in different parts of queer history, obviously focusing on gay men. For instance there's a whole episode about Jeff Trail, one of Cunanan's victims before he goes on (two months later) to kill Versace on the steps of his home in Miami Beach, Florida, 1997. The episode on Jeff Trail, specifically focuses on his struggle of being both gay and a naval officer. If you're unaware of what this meant at the time, let me give you a quick history lesson.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) was implemented in 1994, where openly gay men and women were banned from joining the military. This meant a lot of closeted LGBT soldiers would be discriminated against and no action would be carried out. The Clinton Administration basically told the military "don't be gay." This led to a legacy of discrimination, as we can see in the episode. This law was repealed in 2011, finally, but left a lot of damage behind to the community.

Another part of the story was how Versace's long-term partner Antonio D'Amico was left with nothing after the death of his long-term partner, Gianni Versace. If it were legal for them to be married, he may have been left with something, but they couldn't. In fact, there's a small segment where Versace wants to come out to the world as a proud gay man, but Donatella (his sister) points out that it is still illegal in some countries and they will refuse to do business. The world's homophobic laws impact every gay individual one way or another.

The most horrifying part of homophobia on the show?

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Cunanan's victims were all gay men. Meaning the FBI didn't try hard enough until Lee Miglin, or even Versace died later on. A lot of gay men that felt intimidated or threatened by Cunanan felt they couldn't report it because of the relationship or circumstance. Laws that barr gay activity will often cause more harm, as killers thrive on the vulnerable and those who can't speak out. This is very clear in a scene in Miami beach, at the start of the series, where Cunanan almost suffocates an older man paying for his 'services' but feels he can't tell the police because of the purposes of his stay that night.

Lee Miglin's secrecy over Cunanan and himself meant that no one around him could identify how they'd met, why he was in their house, etc, which meant there was a lack of clues for his case.

Overall, I reccommend the show, not just on the basis that it perfectly encaptulates 90s homophobia for gay men, but because of the script and the layout. The show works backwards from Versace's death, and it leaves you recounting the events after every episode. Slowly the picture of who Cunanan is, and was, is painted for you and you're left in awe when the police finally arrive on the scene.