Lego launching first LGBTQ set called “Everyone Is Awesome”
The set features 11 figures representing different parts of the LGBTQ community and will launch at the start of Pride Month
Lego is celebrating Pride Month in June by launching its first ever LGBTQ-themed set, “Everyone Is Awesome.”
Inspired by the Pride flag, the 346-piece set features 11 Lego figures painted in different shades of the rainbow flag, as well as black and brown to represent diversity, and light blue, white, and pink from the transgender flag.
Only one figure has a specific gender: the purple one, which features a beehive wig in a “clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there,” the set’s designer, Matthew Ashton, told The Guardian. The rest have no specific gender, allowing them to “express individuality, while remaining ambiguous.”
Ashton, who is Lego’s vice president of design, said that he created the initial set make his office “feel like home with something that reflected me and the LGBTQIA+ community I’m so proud to be a part of.”
When other LGBTQ people told him they “loved it,” Ashton decided to put the set into production.
In a separate statement, he said he wanted to create a Lego set that symbolized “inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love.”
“Everyone is unique, and with a little more love, acceptance and understanding in the world, we can all feel more free to be our true AWESOME selves!” Ashton said. “This model shows that we care, and that we truly believe ‘Everyone is awesome’!”
The “Everyone Is Awesome” set will go on sale on June 1, the start of Pride Month, and will be available in Lego stores and from Lego.com, priced at $35.
It has been designed to fit on most shelves and window sills, standing just four inches tall and five inches deep.
“I am fortunate to be a part of a proud, supportive and passionate community of colleagues and fans,” Ashton said in his statement. “We share love for creativity and self-expression through LEGO bricks and this set is a way to show my gratitude for all the love and inspiration that is constantly shared.”
Flynn DeMarco, part of the LGBTQIA+ Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs) community, told The Guardian that the “Everyone Is Awesome” set was a “big statement” by Lego.
“People look to a company such as Lego — a company they love and enjoy — and think, ‘Hey if it’s OK for Lego, maybe it’s OK for me, too,’” said DeMarco, who also competed on the 2020 Fox TV series Lego Masters.
He added: “For Lego to do something so inclusive, so full of joy — it made me smile, then cry, then smile a little more.”
Read More:
‘Dance of the 41’ Review: Netflix’s drama is a gorgeous tale of closeted gay love
FX’s ‘Pride’ documents the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement
Which D.C. LGBTQ bars are operating at full capacity? Find out here.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.