Kristin Bauer van Straten, who portrays the lesbian vampire Pam, reflects on Advocate.com on how groundbreaking True Blood truly was in its portrayal of characters and stories that staked at the heart of what it means to be a minority in America.
“I always wonder how many people just enjoy the show and how many people see the depth that Alan Ball began,” Bauer van Straten says, referring to the show’s gay creator. “And for me, that’s what gives HBO and the character of Pam in this show a lasting presence.”
“Crazy stuff happens in Bon Temps,” she adds. “But really, it’s nothing crazier than what we deal with in life on earth.”
There’s been no shortage of crazy stuff in Bon Temps, the fictional Louisiana town where humans and supernatural creatures reluctantly coexist. Vampires, werewolves, witches, werepanthers, fairies, and more have descended upon the locale in recent years, often at odds with one another as well as the conservative natives who view them as monsters.
Bauer van Straten sees the draw that such colorful characters, as portrayed by an attractive cast filled with “eye candy,” could have on an audience that is not necessarily pro-LGBT, and how Ball has used that magnetism to help sway hearts and minds.
“How do you get people to see another viewpoint that they are closed to?” Bauer van Straten muses. “Art is a wonderful way to do that. … I’m sure there’s a lot of people who are watching True Blood who are not pro–gay rights, but maybe that opened the door. Maybe it got them to think a little bit.”
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