True Blood was based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. It immersed viewers into a world where vampires have decided, thanks to the development of synthetic human blood, to come out of hiding and assimilate into mainstream U.S. society. The hot-blooded population is divided into camps: the conservative, Christian right wing that has deemed vampires to be a threat to the safety and moral fabric of the country; and the progressive left that supports their full inclusion in society, even if there is a bit of fetishism involved. It’s similar rhetoric for anyone familiar with the movements for both civil and LGBTQ+ rights. However, conversations about race in True Blood were not simply overlaid onto the bodies of vampires. The social tension around the cold-blooded beings emerged in an America with its racist history still intact. This context is important, because it informs the population of Bon Temps, the fictional Louisiana parish where the show is set.