Museum Guidebook Faces Backlash for ‘Sexualizing’ Children’s Toy

Clear Facts

• The Science Museum in Britain has a guidebook that describes Lego bricks as “gendered” and “heteronormative.”
• The guide suggests that the way Lego bricks connect is akin to “mating,” using terms like “male” and “female” for the bricks.
• Fiona McAnena from Sex Matters criticized the guide as “completely bonkers” and unnecessary for children.

In a surprising move, Britain’s Science Museum has decided to delve into the world of children’s toys with a lens that many find puzzling. The museum’s self-guided tour, titled “Seeing Things Queerly,” has raised eyebrows by describing the fastening mechanism of Lego bricks as “gendered” and “heteronormative.”

The guide, crafted by the museum’s Gender and Sexuality Network, suggests that the act of connecting Lego bricks evokes notions of “mating.” It explains that the “male” blocks with protruding pins connect with “female” spaces in other blocks. This terminology, according to the guide, is an example of applying “heteronormative language to topics unrelated to gender, sex, and reproduction.”

The guidebook aims to “create more visibility and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community,” but not everyone is convinced of its necessity or appropriateness. Fiona McAnena, director of advocacy at the nonprofit Sex Matters, has been vocal in her criticism.

“The Science Museum’s self-guided trail on all things ‘queer’ is completely bonkers,” she stated. “The idea that Lego is ‘heteronormative’ because the blocks are described as ‘male’ and ‘female’ is ridiculous.”

McAnena further added, “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 when visiting the Science Museum, not to have dubious claims rooted in gender ideology forced on them.”

The tour, which was first introduced in 2022, also highlights figures like Roberta Cowell, a British World War II-era pilot noted as the first British trans woman to undergo gender-affirming surgery. Despite the controversy, the Science Museum has not yet responded to inquiries for comment on the guidebook’s content.

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