The Danish toymaker Lego has released a new LGBTQIA+ set, ‘Everyone is Awesome’, to celebrate Pride Month.
Lego’s new LGTQIA+ set, ‘Everyone is Awesome,’ was designed by Matthew Ashton, who initially started the project purely for himself.
‘I’d moved offices,’ Ashton explains, and wanted to ‘make the space feel like home with something that reflected me and the LGBTQIA+ community I’m so proud to be a part of.’
‘Representation is so important. I grew up in the 80s and was obviously a gay kid. There was a lot of negativity back then around being gay.’
‘I knew I needed to step up and make a real statement about love and inclusivity.’
The set features 11 minifigures, six of which are in the colours of the original rainbow pride flag.
Ashton also included three in the pastel blue white and pink of the trans pride flag, as well as black and brown to acknowledge the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community.
These were meant to highlight the trans and POC individuals who have often been left out of representation.
10 of the figures have no specific gender, and have been left deliberately ambiguous to allow users to ‘express individuality’.
The only exception is the purple Lego character who has a distinct beehive hairdo, as a ‘nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there,’ who have also faced exclusion and invisibility in mainstream media.
It has already been reviewed by the groups Adult Fans of Lego (Afol) and Gayfols, such as Flynn DeMarco who commended LEGO for actually representing the LGBTQ community, saying ‘there’s a lot of lip service and not a lot of action.’
DeMarco alluded to the phenomenon of ‘pink-washing’, in which organisations and companies use LGBTQ symbols, such as the rainbow, as an advertising ploy without actually trying to aid the community itself.
The Everyone is Awesome set goes further than this, DeMarco believes.
‘For Lego to do something so inclusive, so full of joy- it made me smile, then cry, then smile a little more.’
LEGO has made previous efforts to improve their representation.
A rainbow flag is included in its Trafalgar Square set, for example, and its bride and groom ‘BrickHeadz’ figures are sold individually to allow users to pair two brides or two grooms together.
The set went on sale last week to celebrate the start of Pride month, and is intended as a display model rather than a play set.
This article was originally written by Georgie Morley. ‘I’m Georgie and I’m currently studying History at the University of Oxford. I am passionate about social change, particularly intersectional feminism and climate justice, and I enjoy engaging in these issues through volunteering, campaigning and writing.’ Visit her LinkedIn and view her Twitter.
I’m a contributing writer here at Thred. My bio and contact information can be found at the bottom of each article. If you would like to become a remote writer for Thred, please email us at [email protected] or click here to see more information on the Change Maker Network.
In light of the country's low national birth rates and worsening lonely deaths epidemic, a government-mandated dating app has been created for Japanese citizens. Can the state's involvement solve the cultural issues driving these worrying trends?
The declining birth rate in Japan has been declared by the country’s former prime minister Fumio Kishida as “the biggest crisis Japan faces”.
This so-called “crisis” is due to a number of factors including
Free and thriving – or just paying more rent? Let’s break down the economics of singledom.
Breathe a sigh of relief, for February is almost over. It’s that special time of year when couples throw cash at overpriced dinners, smugly split the Uber home, and post a well-lit shot of each other on social media.
As for the single population? We’re left to pay the infamous ‘single tax’. But is being...
Fresh research by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) shows that young people in the UK are going out less than they were a year ago.
It seems like Gen Z may be unable to go out in the evenings due to financial pressures.
New research conducted by Obsurvant on behalf of the NTIA indicates that less young people are attending nightclubs. Money pressures, safety concerns and transport hindrances all play...
Is the decline in casual sex among Gen Z a sign of conservatism, or are young people simply seeking deeper connections?
In the latest attempt to paint young people as far more wholesome (and dare I say boring) than their predecessors, a new report by The Times claims Gen Z are swiping left on one-night stands.
That’s right. Today’s young adults are engaging in less casual sex than ever before....
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
0 comments
