A self-guided exhibition at the Science Museum in London has come under scrutiny for claiming that Lego promotes a binary view of gender and lacks inclusivity for the LGBT community, The Telegraph reported.
The tour, titled "Stories of Queer Communities, Experiences and Identities," features a display of Lego bricks alongside an argument suggesting the toy reinforces gender norms.
"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," the exhibit states. However, it does not cite any sources to support the claim that Lego is perceived as gendered or that the act of connecting bricks is referred to as "mating."
The museum argues that this is "an example of applying heteronormative language to topics unrelated to gender, sex, and reproduction."
The exhibition has been curated by the Gender and Sexuality Network, a group of museum staff and volunteers who describe themselves as “committed to creating more visibility and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community in the Science Museum.”
The claim has sparked significant debate online, with many criticising the museum’s stance. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also weighed in on the controversy, sharing the story with a clown face emoji.
Several social media users ridiculed the museum’s assertion.
"Stop seeing things 'queerly.' Problem solved," one user commented. Another sarcastically asked, "What about magnets? They have two poles! Magnets are transphobic! What about batteries? They have an anode and a cathode! Batteries are transphobic!"
A third user questioned, "Are they going to make non-binary Lego parts now?"
This is not the first time the self-guided tour—first introduced in 2022—has drawn criticism for its approach to gender and sexuality. In 2023, the museum was forced to dismantle a trans-inclusive display following complaints that it was promoting "propaganda" rather than science.
One of the most contentious displays, titled "Boy Or Girl?", featured quotes that described gender transition as a “hero’s journey.”
The museum also presents visitors with information suggesting that "while a biological human female usually has XX sex chromosomes and a biological human male generally has XY, we now know there is diversity in the presence and combinations of sex-determining features, including variation in sex chromosomes."
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