When I say a modern day vampire I am not talking about in the media, I am talking about real vampires. Since the 1960s and 1970s there have been people who identify and live as vampires, however, they are nothing like Dracula or how Hollywood portrays vampires. They are everyday contributing members of society who happen to feed off the energy, and sometimes but rarely and consensually the blood, of the people around them and close friends.

These vampires can be classified into two groups: Sanguine vampires and Energy vampires (also known as psychic vampires). Sanguine vampires drink the blood of animals and people, given they are a rarity within the vampire community. At first you might think this a crime but everything is consensual. These vampires will find willing donors who go through extensive blood pathogen testing to eliminate the risk of blood born diseases. These vampires also don’t bite people rather they make small cuts with sterile blades and drink from people that way.

Energy vampires thrive off energy from other people. A lot of people consider energy vampires to be narcissists and people who make you feel exhausted after an interaction, but that’s not always true. Some of them feed off affection from their partners, others feed off that feeling you get after a good interaction, some even feed off of sexual interactions. These types of vampires are more common within the community and are what the majority of vampires are.

However vampirism isn’t all about the energy draining and blood drinking it’s more about finding community and family, “We all just wanna get along and be loved – that’s why I love the vampire community,” said Maven Lore, a member of the New Orleans Vampire Court, in an interview with CNN. Vampires have such a strong sense of community they’ve even founded local communities and covens in cities such as New Orleans, Atlanta, Ohio, and New York. The vampire community has become a place to go for those who have felt othered so they can be themselves. “It doesn’t matter what race … what gender you are. You’re accepted.” said Maven Lore in the same CNN interview.

The vampire community is something heavily misconstrued in the media. While, yes, there are some bad groups and so called “cults”, the majority of vampires don’t agree with or support them. People such as Marilyn Manson and Nicholas Godejohn (the boyfriend of Gypsy Rose Blanchard), as well as shows like My Strange Addiction have given the community a bad name and image.

Truth be told, the vampire community isn’t full of people who drink blood and worship the devil. It’s full of people who just want to feel a sense of community and have a family. Just because someone says they’re a vampire doesn’t mean they’re a bad person or homicidal maniac. Most of the time they’re alright people just like you and me. People tend to generalize communities just because of one bad thing someone in the community did and harmful stereotypes get formed on misconceptions, This doesn’t just go for the vampire community, it goes for all communities.

Vampire expert

Amoroso

I am a student and writer from Georgia who has an interest in gothic literature and film, ancient history, and anything vampire related.