The blog hasn’t engaged with this painfully prominent topic yet – because as a white Western man my voice has been heard for far too long. I would like to maintain that position, and instead invite my readers to visit a guest article by Jacqueline Ecclestone, a black woman in the US goth scene.

You could also read this article for World Goth Day by model and activist Yasmin Benoit, who also talks about her experience – her struggles – as a person of colour in the UK goth scene.

Finally, there are many ways we can contribute to and support the struggle using these carefully curated resources.

I do have some words for the subculture, as a community. There has always been an issue with gatekeeping, legitimacy and exclusion in the goth scene. Self-proclaimed ‘authorities’ issue utterly ludicrous proclamations of what is and isn’t goth, and who is outlawed as a result. That has been a serious error of judgement at the heart of this peculiar and rebellious subculture.

If it suddenly turns into exclusion based on somebody’s race, creed, sexuality or other basic human right – it goes beyond petty goth politics and into the realm of crime and cruelty. That is not permissable under any circumstances.

Now is the time to amplify the voices of those silenced, stand with those oppressed, and remember that we are supposedly united by a willingness to embrace different lived experiences. We must never, never ostracise someone because of their race or skin colour. If there’s one thing goths can agree on – it must be that.

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