Why did I bother writing all this stuff up?

Because I got tired of the misunderstanding and misrepresentation of goth culture, and of seeing newbie gothlings being tormented, or being clueless about how to start acting on their goth impulses.

As goth became more visible in the media, misrepresentation about the culture has run rampant. A quick glance at the media coverage of the Columbine high school shootings in Littleton, Colorado in April 1999 shows how easily and how quickly the media and others can be to demonize goths (and, indeed, any "alternative" subculture). This is unfair, and more to the point, it's dangerous. It's dangerous to the goths who are tormented in school, shunned by family, and beat up on the streets and playgrounds; and it's dangerous to a society that is already too prone to go off on fanatical crusades against anything it fears and doesn't understand. A little more hate and fear trickles into the world every time a subculture--any subculture--is made to look scary and threatening because of ignorance, and I feel this is really bad for society and for the world. It also makes me angry and sad.

So the Academia Gothica is my light-hearted but seriously intended attempt to lift some of that ignorance and take away some of that fear and hate. I've tried to provide some background and history of goth culture, to make it easier to understand, and to provide a jumping-off point for people who are interested in learning more about it, whether they want to become goths, are new goths looking for advice and resources, or are merely curious.

If you've enjoyed the site or found it useful, or if you'd like to suggest a topic, please feel free to contact me and let me know your thoughts. I don't claim to be an expert; I'm merely someone who likes being goth and wants others to know that we're not dangerous freaks, just interesting people who've chosen a slightly different lifestyle path. This is my small contribution to increasing understanding in the world.

More information:
Religioustolerance.org has a good overview page addressing the concerns raised after Colunbine (and used me as one of their sources).
Welcome to the Witch Hunt is Lucasta's protest against an outrageously slanted and inaccurate piece aired by the ABC newsmagazine program "20/20." This page includes the transcript of the 20/20 story.