Billund, Denmark — The LEGO Group has announced its launch of the ‘A-Z of Awesome’, an ongoing campaign which runs into 2023 using LEGO builds to celebrate inclusivity and embrace self-expression in the LGBTQIA+ community.
The A-Z will be developed in creative LEGO creations to help LGBTQIA+ families use play to have open conversations about their identities. For the alphabet to be created in the most authentic and meaningful way possible, the designs of each letter will be created by members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including LEGO fans, young and old, members of the community and LEGO employees.
Launching during Pride Month, the alphabet aims to build understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community and the different abbreviations used.
‘The A-Z of Awesome’ aims to present the community’s vocabulary more widely through a fun and playful medium. The LEGO Group is inviting submissions including an explanation of what the build means to its creator, which will be featured on a dedicated website.
Alero Akuya, VP of brand development of LEGO Group, said, “The wonderful thing about LEGO bricks is that they can be a powerful form of self-expression as you can build anything you can imagine. We can’t wait to see what fans will submit of amazing builds and beautiful stories.”
Akuya adds, “We hope their creativity and our A-Z of Awesome campaign inspire people of all ages and help build greater awareness and acceptance. We want to show people that with more love and understanding people can be their true selves.”
The creative inspiration for this campaign was born out of the insight from GLAAD that almost half of non-LGBTQIA+ people find conversations around gender identity confusion.
On the significance of Pride Month, Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of GLSEN, said, “All children benefit from learning about the diverse world around them, and positive representation of LGBTQ+ identities, whether in school curriculum or in play, helps young people feel prepared to meaningfully engage in their communities. We’re proud to support the LEGO Group’s ‘The A-Z of Awesome’ campaign as a powerful tool to build a more tolerant and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ families and young people.”
Meanwhile, Intersex campaigner and ‘A-Z of Awesome’ contributor Pidgeon Pagonis, shared, “Growing up I remember feeling this sense of shame, like oh there’s something wrong with me, or the things I desire or want. This project is important because there might be an intersex person out there who likes to build with LEGO bricks, and this can help them see themselves represented.”
The 2022 campaign for Pride month brings together the following; The A-Z campaign will serve as a call to action for members of the community to submit their builds and stories to complete the alphabet. Selected builds will be added to the A-Z, with the full alphabet being presented by the end of 2022. Additionally, The LEGO Group will donate US$1m to existing and new partner organisations in support of the LGBTQIA community.
Moreover, LEGO will participate in pride events as well as have their LBGTQIA+ Employee Advocacy Groups arrange activities for LEGO employees, as well as internal sessions will be hosted featuring external consultants from the community.
This campaign builds off the LEGO Group’s support for the LGBTQIA+ community in recent years where one such example includes supporting the LGBTQIA+ community by building a miniature pride parade within the family activity zone at Pride in London in 2019.
