Tonight's anticipated HBO premiere of True Blood — from creator Alan Ball, of the excellent Six Feet Under — introduces us to a race of vampires, who have made themselves known publicly after centuries in the shadows. They even have an official organization, with representatives making the TV rounds! Indeed, the vampires are considered a "race"; this is how Ball intentionally conceived of the bloodsuckers. And now that the vampires just want to fit in, they're going to face the same civil rights stuggle that, say, blacks and women, and yep, even us gays, have faced. Which means, aside from the obvious vampire questions — Can they survive daylight? What kills them? — there are plenty of opportunities to discuss racial things like inter-vampire dating and sex, and whether vampires should enjoy the sames rights as the mortal/human race. It also let's Ball have an enormous amount of fun with manipulating the current status quo to fit this vampire world.

Example 1: The "God Hates Fangs" sign seen here (click to enlarge). "God hates fags" has adorned many a church marquee and protester sign. This "God Hates Fangs" sign appears in the show's opening sequence. As you might imagine, there are some folks who just don't approve of the immortal.

Example 2: "Coming out of the coffin." Much as the gays must come out of the closet, vamps must bust through a wooden door of their own. The show's lead, Anna Paquin's Sookie Stackhouse, utters the line in the series premiere (if our memory serves us right).