Lego can be anti-LGBT, the Science Museum has said. As part of its ‘Seeing Things Queerly’ tour showcasing “stories of queer communities”, Lego bricks are said to reinforce the idea that heterosexuality “is the norm”. The Telegraph has the story.
A self-guided museum tour on “stories of queer communities, experiences and identities” includes a display of Lego bricks alongside a guide stating the plastic blocks may reinforce the idea that heterosexuality “is the norm”.
The tour, devised by a Gender and Sexuality Network at the museum, also claims in the ‘Seeing Things Queerly‘ guide that Lego adds credence to the view that there are only two genders.
This is because people supposedly describe Lego bricks as having male or female parts that are made to “mate” with each other.
This is “heteronormative”, the guide states, which is the idea that “heterosexuality and the male/female gender binary are the norm and everything that falls outside is unusual”.
The Science Museum guide claims that people think “the top of the brick with sticking out pins is male, the bottom of the brick with holes to receive the pins is female, and the process of the two sides being put together is called mating”.
No source is provided for the alleged view that people consider Lego to be gendered, or that sticking bricks together is called “mating”.
The claims have been criticised by the charity Sex Matters, which campaigns to retain women’s only spaces and sex-specific services.
Fiona McAnena, Director of Advocacy at Sex Matters, said: “The Science Museum’s self-guided trail on all things ‘queer’ is completely bonkers, and includes some absurd claims.
“The idea that Lego is ‘heteronormative’ because the blocks are described as ‘male’ and ‘female’ is ridiculous.
“Children who play with Lego don’t need to be told that some people say fitting Lego blocks together is ‘mating’.
“People expect to be informed, educated and inspired when visiting the Science Museum, not to have dubious claims rooted in gender ideology forced on them.” …
The Science Museum Group, a family of museums across the country, is led by Sir Ian Blatchford.
The former banker has spoken out against “woke” causes, and in a piece for the Telegraph in 2021 he warned that cancel culture was the enemy of the culture sector, saying museums must “steer clear of political activism”.
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