A CAMPAIGNER wants to add a new colour to the gay rights flag to represent goths.

Darkness Vlad Tepes is spearheading a campaign to add a black stripe to the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender (LGBT) rainbow flag, which will represent the ‘growing’ gay goth community.

Mr Tepes, a goth, believes they should have equal rights to other strands of the gay community and said adding a black stripe to the rainbow flag would help change people’s perceptions of them in society.

He has previously spoken out asking for tolerance of his ‘vampire’ lifestyle. He regularly sleeps in a coffin and drinks animal blood.

The LGBT rainbow flag, which represents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride, has undergone several design revisions since its debut in 1978.

Nowadays the flag is commonly made up of six colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple – and is often used as a symbol of gay pride during LGBT rights marches.

However the 27-year-old, of Bolton Road, Blackburn, who used to live in Oswaldtwistle, said that gay goths are often outcast because of their fashion.

He said: “Very few goths are ever seen in the gay community but when they are they are not always welcomed due to their dark gothic fashion.

“When some goths go to the gay scene a minority of them get confused with being into the dominatrix sexual lifestyle which is not the case.

“Gothic intent is to dress black and in black.

“It’s easy to see that the current colours in the gay flag don’t really represent the gothic community.

“With a black stripe we will be treated as equals within the gay community.

“Gay people are already accepted within the gothic community only we don’t have a flag.”

Mr Tepes, who has received support from friends in Blackburn, Manchester, Liverpool, London and America, intends to speak to the LGBT group in Manchester to try to get their support for his campaign.

However Lancashire LGBT and the openly gay Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans have said the rainbow flag already reflects the ‘full diversity’ of LGBT people.

Lancashire LGBT, a registered charity, said: “We wish the gay goth community well but our view is that the rainbow flag already reflects the full diversity of LGBT people.

“The designer of the flag, Gilbert Baker, said the stripes do not stand for specific sub groups but for themes such as life, healing, art, nature and spirits.”

Mr Evans added: “You can’t get more inclusive than the gay community.

“The rainbow flag itself is used as a symbol recognising the diverse gay community.

“The EU flag only has 12 stars on it and is just symbolic of the countries in the organisation.

“We do not need to add further colours to differentiate gay goths.”