How Vampires Were Used to Demonise Queer People

Throughout literature, film, and folklore, vampires have long served as more than just horror icons, they have also operated as coded symbols for queerness. Whether intentionally or not, the figure of the vampire has often been used to metaphorically explore and stigmatise queer identities, especially during periods of intense cultural repression. From themes of forbidden desire to the fear of contamination, vampires reflect how society has historically viewed queer people: as dangerous, seductive outsiders whose existence challenges the norm.

In early vampire literature, such as Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla" (1872), the connection between queerness and vampirism was quite direct. The story centres on an intense and intimate relationship between two women, one of whom is revealed to be a vampire. Carmilla’s same-sex desire is portrayed as both alluring and threatening, setting the tone for how queer-coded vampires would continue to appear in gothic and horror fiction. These narratives often framed queer desire as a secretive, monstrous impulse, something to be hidden, repressed, or destroyed.

This metaphor became even more prominent in 20th-century vampire films, particularly during the rise of Hollywood’s Hays Code era (1934–1968), when overt depictions of homosexuality were censored. Filmmakers began using vampires as stand-ins for queerness. Characters who were isolated, flamboyant, or oddly intimate with others of the same sex often turned out to be monsters, reinforcing the harmful idea that queerness was inherently deviant.

The 1980s and 1990s saw a shift, with queer subtext becoming more pronounced. Films like "The Hunger" (1983) and "Interview with the Vampire" (1994) portrayed vampires as sensuous, melancholic figures whose relationships crossed gender lines. Yet even in these more sympathetic portrayals, vampirism continued to function as a metaphor for queerness as "otherness", a tragic, cursed existence on the margins of society. During the AIDS crisis, this metaphor deepened, with bloodborne transmission becoming a powerful, if painful, echo of the stigma placed on queer bodies.

However, the queer-vampire metaphor is not solely one of stigma and fear. In more recent decades, the vampire has been reclaimed by queer creators and audiences as a symbol of empowerment, survival, and self-definition. Shows like "True Blood" and novels like the "Wayward Children" series by Seanan McGuire present vampires not as metaphors for shame, but as complex, liberated beings who defy societal norms. These reimaginings allow for the exploration of queer identity outside the traditional binary of victim or villain.

In essence, the vampire’s long association with queerness reveals as much about societal anxieties as it does about the power of metaphor. Whether used to stigmatise or to celebrate, vampires continue to serve as a reflection of how culture grapples with difference. For many in the queer community, the vampire is no longer just a symbol of fear, but of enduring, thriving, and transforming, in the dark, yes, but always alive.