LEGO has received backlash after releasing a new ad highlighting the LGBTQ community. Last year, the LEGO Group company announced its “A-Z of Awesome” campaign for Pride Month.
In a press release, the company said it “invites LGBTQIA+ families to bring their identity to life through creative self expression. Campaign calls to raise awareness for the identities and stories in those communities.”
THREAD: I’m disgusted but in 2023, I can’t say I’m surprised.
Today, Lego’s launched a new campaign on Instagram encouraging kids to “explore the complete LGBTQIA+ alphabet”. pic.twitter.com/5niOQP30m6
— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) April 12, 2023
Given the campaign is ongoing, LEGO posted several images to its official Instagram account as part of the advertisement. These images showed individual letters of the alphabet. Each letter is represented by a different LEGO LGBTQ-themed creation.
“Tap to explore our complete LGBTQIA+ alphabet,” the ad reads.
The images featured text such as, “C is for Coming Out”, “I is for Intersex”,”N is for Non-binary” and “Q is for Queer.”
The LEGO website has a page dedicated to its diverse and inclusive workplace. It reads, “LEGO® play is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more diverse backgrounds we have represented within our business, who are each heard and valued, the more we will all contribute, thrive and grow.”
It also describes how they currently focus on “gender, ethnicity, LGBTQIA+ communities and people with disabilities,” in the workplace, with special Employee Advocacy Groups (EAGs).
“We currently have EAGs for Accessibility, Age, Asian, LGBTQIA+, People of Color and Women, and expect to establish more over time”
Under the section titled “Breaking down gender stereotypes,” the brand notes that their “long-term ambition is a completely gender-balanced organization at all levels by 2032.”
Some of the partnerships LEGO has entered into include Workplace Pride, Stonewall, and Open for Business.
“To help shape strategy and programs to support employees who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies across the company. We also invested to help future generations learn about empathy and inclusivity through partnerships with the UK charity Diversity Role Models,” the LEGO website reads.
Podcaster and conservative commentator Robby Starbuck tweeted, “Everything is NOT awesome at LEGO. They’re the latest company to go woke by pushing the trans agenda on kids.”
This is not the first time that LEGO has received backlash from customers.
The Guardian reported on LEGO set #40516 which was released in 2021. It offered a literal rainbow of characters said to represent different people in the LGBTQ community.
The set’s designer Matthew Ashton told The Guardian that almost all the figures had “no specific gender.” He also noted that the purple figure with the beehive wig “is a clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there.”
In February, Fox News did a segment called “LEGO GOES WOKE: Figures With Anxiety, Missing Limb,” and received its own share of criticism from legacy media outlets.
Radio Host Jimmy Failla joined the program and noted that Republicans were upset about LEGO throwing identity politics into such an iconic children’s toy, while Democrats were upset they didn’t include a “drag queen stripper.”
