williejm

Croc/gator Loki has no crown - so as long as you can deal with the eyes, baby croc! https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/lego-minifigures-marvel-studios-71031

This is beautiful. Glorious, joyous building colours! Well done x

In my recollection I know I also reported the transphobic comments, and it took a bit of back & forth to see them acted on. It is also worth saying out loud HOW IMPORTANT that The Everything is Awesome set is to so many of us LGBTQ+ lego fans. To see the discussion on that (an official Lego set, designed by a gay VP, in Pride Month, celebrating Pride and diversity) be mired in abuse and homophobia, and that not to be directly challenged or acted on by mods, then for the threads to be locked down as if it was a ‘both sides’ issue is pretty horrible. I would go further and say that I want other LGBTQ+ users who might not be as confident as myself or @Alexandrina to be able to post and engage here without fear of abuse. That requires actively fostering a more welcoming culture on the site which some of the things I’ve suggested might help with.

My suggestions (though I think this should be a wider consult with more people) Revise the Ts & Cs Explicitly say what is not acceptable in terms of ‘politics’ Intervene on behalf of the groups getting the abuse, promptly, so that they don’t have to decide whether to defend themselves. perhaps one thing would be to take a step back and see if the moderators have adequate representation of people from minority groups, that sort of inclusivity can help.

But some things are not up for discussion, surely? I’m aware Ts&Cs just vaguely refer to ‘religion’ and ‘politics’, but maybe that needs revisited. Surely overt sexism, racism, ableism and homophobia is not okay? It gets tedious to point it out, but in ‘both-sides’ -ing this, rather than being reasonable, only one side suffers. The bigoted side is perfectly happy if all of the comments are shut down, shouted down, or otherwise made to go away. Defending their status quo is about maintaining that privilege and silencing everything else. It’s a mob mentality, and it works fine if you’re in the majority or want to be part of the gang. On the other side, I am not different to someone else through choice, I’m gay becuase I’m gay. Just like if I was black or a wheelchair user, it’s not a choice or a thing that is okay for someone else to take issue with. I appreciate you might think this is impossible and a pain in the blocks, but I really think Eurobricks is really behind the times on this stuff, and it’s making the site, which I have been a member of for almost ten years, an increasingly unpleasant place to be. Maybe that’s okay, maybe I’m not welcome here. Maybe that’s the site the site wants to be. If so - let it be honest about that, rather than trying to dismiss concerns, and in turn entrenching established prejudice. The initial post was pretty reasonable - simply asking for quicker moderation on topics that are likely to attract ‘controversy’.

It’s a thread in ‘Forum Information & help’ suggesting something for forums. Yes it’s referring to a specific example, but it doesn’t have to be specific in how that suggestion could be applied.

What? So the threads about ‘Everyone is Awesome’, an official Lego set, accompanied with video from the designer, who happens to be a VP of the company, explaining what it represented and why it was important to him, and to LEGO as a brand, shouldn’t have been started? Because those are some threads we are talking about. LEGO itself has decided to step up on social issues, and things some on here call ‘political’ (they tend not to be political if you live them), so it’s kinda hard to see how this platform can disassociate the sets, the sentiment and the social impact. Ultimately the impact for many of us identifying as LGBTQ+is the same, it is denigrating, dismissive, and being told we are wrong just for being. I can’t speak to other minority groups, but would not be surprised if this was similar on related topics.

Thanks for this. I think it’s also an important part of the issue that there’s a ‘narrative’ that certain people are unreasonable, angry or hysterical - but it is always used as way to silence progressive opinions on here. Think of the tropes of angry black people, militant gay rights, or hysterical women. Many others simply get the message to ‘be quiet’. In reality people are hurt and defending themselves, and arguably are only angry because they’re paying attention. I have no clue what else I’m supposed to do when I see an inappropriate comment about LGBTQ+ issues (etc). If there is no action from moderators, then I know that others have seen it, and it’s been left as ‘okay’. So, if people like me step in and say it’s not, we are not being controversial, or stirring, or political, we are trying to make sure that hurtful and denigrating comments are not left to stand for the many other (quieter) contributors they will affect. Ultimately that’s about making this forum a welcoming and safe place as much as we can.

I mean, pretty reasonable to assume plenty LGBTQ+ folk and allies would read a thread about a set celebrating Pride, or acknowledging their existence. Not everyone has the choice to ignore this stuff or suggest it should be somewhere else. Suggesting people go elsewhere or be quiet about it *is a homophobic tactic*, whether that’s deliberate or not. I appreciate it comes across as ‘reasonable’ or ‘fair’ to some, but it’s really not. It is used a lot on here specifically, and in social media generally, because people get away with it. Similarly, inflaming and polarising the discussion so it is shut down is another tactic to silence sectors of people.

Though those are sweet bricks to get in white for interior and exterior buildings…

Lego likes to leave you wanting more

Hah, pretty speculative then!

I’m not stirring. There are not two sides. Leaving anti LGBTQ+ posts up, and leaving them unchallenged creates an unpleasant atmosphere for many of us who identify that way or who are allies. I know personally several LGBTQ+ users who have ‘stepped back’ or stopped posting on these forums because of that. The two threads on the Everyone Is Awesome set were locked, and people delegitimising and being offensive to LGBTQ+ people, including specific users, was not moderated. Apologies if that seems like stirring, but it’s pretty fundamental when it’s you. Not liking Star Wars is pretty vastly different to making a statement about LGBTQ+ people or sets. If similar posts were made about how Lego shouldn’t include disabled minifigures in sets, or how there are too many black minifigures, or too many Jewish characters … you can see that would be a problem.

… so this rumour went quiet.

Seems like the company that produces the bricks decided where they stand, not sure why moderation on here always seems to fall down on the other side of that.