LEGO builds up LGBTQ awareness with new Pride campaign

It is the first week of June, Pride month is here, and businesses have already hard-launched their rainbow-themed mid-year projects. The A-Z of Awesome is an inclusive project that the company hopes to make conversations about LGBTQ identities more accessible.

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The A-Z of Awesome is a community-centered social media project that highlights the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community. The campaign's initial participants, all members of the broader LGBTQIA community, created LEGO dioramas based on their personal stories, like a butterfly-themed art piece for the trans community and a multi-perspective letter to honor the diversity of the community. One part of LEGO's proposed "Alphabet" of identities is created by the different scenes and their creator's explanations. It is the first of the Pride month initiatives.

The hope is for LEGO fans and the general public to add onto these initial efforts by creating their own letter-based builds with the blocks they already own, and join together in building an entirely queer-helmed alphabet. LEGO asks participants to choose a word from their list of LGBTQ terms, or come up with their own, and include an explanation of the build's meaning alongside a picture. The builds will be featured on a dedicated website.

Credit: LEGO

Interviews and profiles with the first set of builders, like intersex campaigner and A-Z of Awesome contributor Pidgeon Pagonis, can be found on LEGO's A-Z of Awesome page. They wrote in the press release that it would have been a game-changer for them to see themselves reflected in popular media.

Credit: LEGO

Credit: LEGO

The A-Z of Awesome is LEGO's latest campaign celebrating Pride month, following the launch of its first LGBTQ-themed set last year. The first Pride set, called Everyone is Awesome, included various figures in the colors of the Pride flag, with the intent that people could build whatever kind of LEGO figures they wanted.

As we start Pride month, it's the perfect time for families to talk about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

LEGO is donating $1 million to various LGBTQ partners in a world where corporate giants take every chance to promote the queer love and politics of Pride month. LEGO has collaborated with many organizations, including international Pride festivities and LGBTQ advocacy and educational organizations.

The A-Z of Awesome campaign is intended to inspire fans of all ages and help build greater awareness and acceptance, according to the vice president of brand development at the LEGO Group.