"There goes all the power outlets": Internet reacts to claims that Lego can be anti-LGBT due to having 'male and female' parts

According to the February 7 Telegraph article, Lego has been accused of being anti-LGBT by the London Science Museum's self-guided tour because its interlocking blocks allegedly perpetuate heteros*xuality as "the norm." The museum claimed that the bricks have male and female sections that "mate" with one another, perpetuating ideas of heteronormativity and gender binaries.

A self-guided tour offered by the London attraction called Seeing Things Queerly took place on February 6. The guide provided in the tour claimed that the blocks are "often described in a gendered way" and views "everything that falls outside" as "unusual”.

The remarks were only discovered after the February 7 Telegraph story, even though the guide was posted on the museum's blog in December 2022, more than two years ago.

Now once a snippet of the article was uploaded on X by @disclosetv, it garnered netizens’ reactions. One even pointed out sarcastically that even power outlets have the same features.

“There goes all the power outlets as well???” wrote one user.

Others also had similar reactions things as one alleged that it was really 'stupid' while another one said that nuts and bolts could be next.

“Will they also stop using electrical outlets? How far do they take this stupidity I wonder,” echoed another user.

“What’s next? Keys and locks? USB connections? Velcro?” sarcastically asked another one.

“Just wait until they hear about nuts and bolts,” said one X user.

Meanwhile, other netizens criticized the outlet for covering the news. One even asked about the funding of the paper.

“This is as dumb as it gets. But if you are $$ funded to say stupid stuff all day, now it makes sense,” wrote one user.

“Now who funded the paper to write this? Who received the money and from who That's the question people want to ask,” one netizen asked.

“Science Museum. What kind of science is that?” another one asked sarcastically.

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The museum's comments on Lego were part of its Seeing Things Queerly tour

The company is now facing backlash (Image via Getty Images)

The museum's "gender and s*xuality network" designed the tour which consists of a group of employees and volunteers dedicated to increasing the LGBTQ+ community's visibility and inclusion in the institutions and holdings of the Science Museum Group.

The Lego comments are a part of the museum's Seeing Things Queerly tour, which debuted in 2022 and includes sections about trans war hero Roberta Cowell, a British pilot from World War II who was the first trans woman in Britain to have gender-affirming surgery.

It also contains information about gay war hero Alan Turing and a toy doll created in response to the anti-gay sentiment during the AIDS epidemic.

Explaining the same about Legos, the Science museum guide stated:

"Like other connectors and fasteners, Lego bricks are frequently described in a gendered way. Bricks with protruding pins on the top are male, bricks with holes to accept the pins on the bottom are female, and the process of joining the two sides is called mating.”

It continued:

“This is an example of applying heteronormative language to topics unrelated to gender, s*x and reproduction. It illustrates how heteronormativity... shapes the way we speak about science, technology, and the world in general.”

On the other hand, Lego has openly shown support to the LGBTQIA+ community through its Everyone is Awesome campaign, releasing its first LGBT-themed set in 2021. On July 1, 2022, the company announced the launch of their "A-Z of Awesome" campaign. It was meant to celebrate inclusivity and embrace self-expression in the LGBTQIA+ community.

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The toy company is yet to respond to the museum's claims and the Telegraph article.