Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ follows the highly publicized trial of the Menendez brothers, accused of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their home in Beverly Hills. The show presents a complex rendering of the events, factoring in the fictional aspects and the conspiracy theories just as much as it does the facts of the case. One of the things that the show does is infuse a sense of homoeroticism in the bond between Erik and Lyle, which leads to several claims about their sexuality and the nature of their relationship.
The Revelations in the Menendez Brothers Trial Raised Questions About Their Sexuality
In exploring the reasons behind the Menendez brothers gunning down their parents to death, the Netflix series suggests that one or both of the brothers may have been gay. Interestingly, the creators of the show didn’t pull this theory out of thin air, and the question over the sexuality of the brothers was raised on several occasions, especially during the first trial, as the details about the Menendez household were brought to light.
In his book, ‘Money, Murder, and Dominick Dunne: A Life in Several Acts,’ Robert Hofler follows Dominick Dunne’s coverage of the case and how the Vanity Fair writer had his own suspicions about the sexuality of the brothers, particularly Erik. An excerpt from the book describes Dunne’s conversations with the prosecutor, Pamela Bozanich, who told the journalist that there was “a strain of homosexuality running through the trial.” She told Dunne that the prosecution knew “Erik was gay and having oral sex with the inmates.” She also talked about the defense trying their best to keep the sexuality factor out of the picture, saying that Leslie Abramson “panicked” over the fact that people would find out about it or even consider it.
Reportedly, during his closing arguments, Deputy DA Lester Kuriyama talked about Erik’s homosexuality and considered it to be the reason for the discord in the family, as opposed to the sexual abuse allegations made by the brothers against their father. He went on to claim that Erik’s own sexual experiences informed the description he testified to in front of the jury about the sex acts his father performed on him. Reportedly, the prosecution wanted to use the homosexuality angle, but the court sided with the defense, and Judge Stanley M. Weisberg ordered the protection to limit their questioning on the matter.
While the judge may have limited the discussion on the topic in the court, the media and public were free to speculate, and Dominick Dunne did not limit his imagination. Theories were passed around about Erik’s attraction to his friend, Craig Cignarelli, with whom he had written a movie screenplay. Hofler’s book describes Dunne’s meeting with photographer Philip Kearney, who had done a photo shoot with Erik in pictures that Dunne found homoerotic. According to the book, Dunne asked Kearney if he had had a sexual relationship with Erik, to which the photographer said that their relationship with “almost physically” intimate. Hofler goes on to mention that about a decade and a half later, the photographer claimed that he would give Erik a massage, and “it would lead to other things.” The photographer also claimed that Erik once told him that if he were gay, he would have Craig as his boyfriend.
Lyle and Erik Menendez Have Asserted They are Straight
A lot of theories and speculations have been made about Lyle and Erik Menendez over the years. At one point, it was even theorized that they were in an incestuous relationship, which is presented in the Netflix series as well. However, at no point in time, since the trial, have the brothers admitted to being gay or having any sort of sexually intimate relations between them. Erik, particularly, received the brunt of the speculations but has repeatedly tried to shut down the rumors.
He testified in court that he felt “confused” about his sexuality due to the things he and Lyle allege happened with his father. According to Erik, the abuse had been going on for so long and had started to hurt less that it made him wonder if the less hurting was happening because he was gay. He said that thoughts about the nature of his sexuality were on his mind, and it bothered him a lot, especially because both his parents were against homosexuality. Erik said that his mother made it seem that it was worse than death to be gay, and his father, too, hated gay people and used derogatory terms to insult Erik.
But the phase of this confusion eventually passed. Erik said that despite his questions about his sexuality, he was attracted to girls and had a few relationships where he was intimate with them. In an interview with Barbara Walters, he once again clarified that he was not gay, though he said that he has received letters from gay people who feel connected to him. The brothers, both of whom are married to women, believed that people found it difficult to accept that two boys had been raped, that it would have been more believable if one or both of them were women, and that sexism had a huge part to play in the way they were seen during the trial.
Read More: Is Lyle Menendez Bald? Does He Wear a Wig or Toupee?
