A Queer History of Vampires (feat. Sacha Coward)

Hot, rich, European, emotionally unavailable... sound familiar?

It's your Hinge profile all over again.

No, silly, it's vampires!

We are thrilled to welcome back folklorist and queer historian, Sacha Coward (author of Queer as Folklore) this week, as we trace the gloriously queer history of vampires—from ancient blood-sucking demons to modern brooding bisexuals.

Drape your capes and get ready to dive into:

• Lilith, the original bad girl who got kicked out of Eden for not sleeping with Adam.
• The juicy backstory of Lord Byron, a chaotic bisexual whose life inspired the first mean, cold, sexy vampires
• Carmilla, the 19th-century vampire lesbian who walked so Pam and Tara inTrue Blood could one day suck
• How Hollywood turned queer people into monsters so they could portray them onscreen
• Why vampires got hotter, more leathery, and more counterculture in the aftermath of the AIDS epidemic

Plus, how vampires got from Dracula terror to Twilight trysting, from cursed to cool, from monsters of the fringe to main characters with fangbanging stans.

As Sacha eloquently puts it:

"Vampire here. Vampire not going anywhere." (Direct quote)

🩸 Whether you’re a Lilith stan, a Buffy devotee, or just into emotionally repressed men with centuries of baggage–*raises hand violently*–this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your blood.

📚 And grab Sacha Coward’s book Queer as Folklore in sexy new paperback form—wherever fine, gay books are sold.

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And if you like what you hear, please do leave us a (FIVE STAR ONLY) review. Praise, not blood, is what Bash feeds on.

Episode Credits

Written and hosted by Bash.

Guest: Sacha Coward.

Edited by Alex Toskas.

Produced by Dani Henion.