Alters United: The Mission Statement

For centuries people like us have been marginalized, kept quiet or relegated to rumor and suspicion. We've been hiding who we are and accepting the warping and twisting of our image for the sake of staying safe and trying to avoid the hateful eye of those who would cause us harm. But today, we have an opportunity to do something more than that. Today, we have the opportunity to become united.

Today I take the first step in making the mission of Alters United known.

For too long have the Alters been ignored for the sake of making those who would consider themselves the "normal" people feel comfortable. We exist and we have something to say. We come from all walks of life and we come in many breeds. Within the ranks of the AUSG we have an elf, a succubus, a zombie, even a human and myself - the golem.

We all come from different backgrounds and have different conditions. We all have different lifestyles, diets and choices. But what we share is a common background of being something other than "normal" in the eyes of the community. And because of this, we stand here united for one purpose: to get the word out.

We are not monsters, we are not inhuman and we are not to be ignored. We have the responsibility to spread the word for ourselves and others who aren't considered "normal". We have the responsibility to share our opinions, guide others through their new lives and provide insights that only people like us can share. We are going to show people that we are no more or less dangerous than any other human being on this planet. And, like many movements of our kind, the decision of how dangerous we will be is entirely dependent on you, the majority.

One out of four people on this planet is like us, though not all of them are active. Your friend that sunburns easily could be a vampire that has not gone active. The fellow with the body hair and odor problem could be a werewolf that hasn't started to howl at the moon. Do you have a problem with dry, scaly or rough skin? You could be a golem too. You may not have gone active or even be aware that it's in you to do so. But ask yourself this: What if you are an Alter? What could you become in the right situation?

Throughout the centuries we've been unaware of our own natures, our own existence. When we do happen to "awaken" our hidden natures, what used to be a rare event, we're treated as monsters by those around us. But we're not monsters, you're not a monster and we're going to make it obvious to everyone.

Here in the AUSG we will bring attention to the lives of our Alter brothers and sisters. We will post reviews and analysis of media: books, television, film and music. These analyses will cover just how our people are represented and whether or not the modern media presents an acceptable image of ourselves. We will also cover news stories regarding our people or things that could impact us.

In the end, we at Alters United will open the eyes of the people around us. Because, when those eyes are wide open, one of us may be looking right back at you.