As we enter yet another Pride Month, it's important to remember two things: A) corporations aren't your friends no matter how many rainbow logos they slap on, and B) we wouldn't be where we are now without the legendary Stonewall riots of 1969. The tavern was declared a national monument almost a decade ago for its contributions to the LGBT rights movement, a struggle that continues to this day.
It's in recognition of this struggle that a set commemorating the Stonewall Monument has shot to the top of LEGO Ideas, garnering ten thousand supporters and meriting consideration by LEGO on the cusp of Pride Month.
Flavio, the Italian LEGO fan behind the set, had this to say:
"I decided to pay tribute to an iconic place for LGBTQIA+ people and for everyone who shares these values, no matter their identity," Flavio tells PRIDE. "It felt natural to choose the Stonewall National Monument, because The Stonewall Inn, Christopher Street, and Christopher Park are powerful symbols of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement. They also represent the long journey the world still needs to take toward equality, a journey that began years ago, but still needs all our support."
As mentioned before, rainbow capitalism is something to be wary of, but it does serve one function — that being a cultural barometer. If corporations like LEGO pander to gay people, it means we're still worth pandering to, i.e. still outnumbering the people who want Dylan Mulvaney to die for doing beer commercials. It might "just" be a gesture if Flavio's Stonewall set makes it to market, but it's still a gesture with at least some meaning.
