Vampires, as figures of immortal otherness, have long captivated the human imagination, and their inherent queerness is a significant aspect of their appeal. Beyond conventional gender roles and societal norms, vampires often exist outside the heteronormative family unit, forming their own chosen families and communities.
Their immortality is unlike typical lives; that is, they are different, often feared, and queer. Vampires, as such, do not typically procreate but do have romantic bonds, chosen family units, and their “siring” can be seen as a form of adoption. Their nocturnal existence and clandestine gatherings are a departure from mainstream society, reminding one of the historic need for queer communities to find affirmation, safety, and relief in discreet places.
The act of blood-sharing, a sharing of bodily fluids, is obviously very intimate and some might say, erotic. It is certainly beyond what most consider conventional behavior. In literature, vampires can be seen as monstrous, as the living dead with the focus more on the macabre than on the living, but other writers such as Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, and Charlaine Harris depict vampires as sexy, mysterious, lustful, and even sometimes gender-fluid.
Vampires are a rejection of the ordinary, a celebration of the extraordinary, and examples of difference that offer mystery and conjecture as well as a world of possibilities and adventure. Established paradigms can be a sort of prison or closet, but not for vampires who must and who gleefully do define their own needs, communities, and identities. Otherness, turning challenges into strengths, forming alternative communities, celebrating physicality and erotic energy, and exploring spirituality beyond mainstream religion, vampire lore is spiritual and quite queer.
