The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

A positive example on how to deal with the media from the Vampire Court of Dallas.

Vampire Court of Dallas

Good evening to our members and supporters! It was brought to our attention by one of our members that our organization was spotlighted in a recent article for the Dallas Observer (“Submerged in Subculture: Inside Plano's Mermaid School”) under the heading “Living Fantasy in DFW”. While we were involved in a short correspondence with the staff of the Observer in the several months prior to this article’s publication, we ultimately chose not to move forward with this working relationship, since the author of this piece refused to provide our membership with any sort of summary/prospectus concerning the article they wished to write and how we would be involved. Without providing this needed information to us, our membership would be risking our hard-earned professional reputation both as a member of the greater community, as well as a 501C3 Non-profit organization. It is with this in mind that we denied the author access and permission for publication, since this risk was ultimately not worth the promotional benefits afforded by being included by a publication such as this.

Knowing this, it was very surprising to find ourselves called out in the pages of a recent article this month, published against our wishes by the very same author. While the information contained is publically available (see Facebook EULA) and is of a merely informational nature, the heading in which we are listed serves as a very misleading reminder of what organizations such as ours must push back against in terms of media and public scrutiny. As such, we have reached out to the staff and leadership of the Dallas Observer for comment (and/or redaction), and concerning the unethical behavior of their staff writer in question. Moving forward, all future correspondence regarding this matter will be passed to our membership for their situational awareness and comment

Until this matter is addressed by the staff of the Observer, we will use this article as means of promotion to make the best out of a poor situation…but with the major caveat that we do not, nor have we ever, considered ourselves a “fantasy” organization. Each of our members has their own diverse beliefs and feelings concerning vampire/other-kin archetypes as well as how these archetypes shape their personal identity. Part of our many functions and goals is to support and celebrate these identities, helping to educate and grow this wonderfully diverse and spiritual community here in our city. In addition, we are a fully certified charitable organization that uses the public appeal of these archetypes in our efforts to raise money for numerous charitable endeavors that our members endorse. While I see nothing wrong with fantasy or fandom organizations, and often enjoy their events and work personally, this misrepresentation must be corrected for the sake of public record and clarify the important work that we do each day.

As an organization we will never risk our name or reputation (or the reputation of our membership) for the purposes of sensationalist press or marketing. Any authorized portrayal of this organization will be made with the full support of our membership in the effort to portray us as factually, ethically, and fairly as possible.

All the love to our wonderful Dallas/Fort Worth!
-MC