Lego to launch rainbow-themed set for first LGBTQIA+ collection

Lego is launching an LGBTQ+ themed set titled Everyone Is Awesome.

Designer Matthew Ashton said the set will include colours making up the rainbow flag, along with pale blue, white and pink representing the trans community, and black and brown to acknowledge the diversity of skin tones and backgrounds within the community.

Ashton told The Guardian he initially made the set for his desk when he moved offices, because he 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.”

But after people started to notice it, and say how much they loved it, he turned it into a real set for sale.

The set, which has 346 pieces with 11 monochrome minifigures, goes on sale on 1 June, the start of Pride month. In all but one case, no specific gender has been assigned to the figures, who are intended to “express individuality, while remaining ambiguous”. The exception is a drag queen character, who is purple.

This is the first time Lego has overtly represented LGBTQ+ people. Previously, they have included a small rainbow flag in a build of Trafalgar Square, and interchangeable bride and groom heads so fans can create same gender marriages.

Ashton added that he hoped this overt statement would help LGBTQ+ people. He said: “Growing up as an LGBTQ+ kid, the message I always got was that somehow I was ‘wrong’. I wish I’d seen an inclusive statement that said ‘everyone is awesome’.”

In a statement, he said:

“I am fortunate to be a part of a proud, supportive and passionate community of colleagues and fans. 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.”

Reacting to the new set, people on social media were excited:

Others were concerned there could by cynical motivations:

To us, it seems a positive step.