Yes, taupe is a silver-gray/brown color. I think we should all work together developing our preferred color, and aim for "Light" and "Dark" versions in the SOP for the Cream Legbar like the Brown Leghorn did when they encountered the same problem we have here.The proof is in the pudding. If the girls are not producing 100% cream colored cockerels when mated to a Cream Colored cockerel, they are NOT correct. The Cream gene is going to dilute the gold plumage to an off white (cream) color as well as remove the brown color from the body making it grey.
I would suggest that another look be taken at the Cream Crele varieties, and Golden Barred varieties birds to note what colored their body is. Is it Brown or is it Grey? Also take a look at the Cream Birds Blackbird13 posted (or the show quality birds in the UK). Blackbird13 has shared photos of some of her cream hens that she has progeny tested and confirmed are producing 100% cream offspring. Are her proven Cream colored hens brown or grey?
What is difference between the color of those proven hens and the unproven ones we are trying to figure out? If the reference group are grey and the unproven ones we are trying to figure out are Taupe or Silverish Brownish Grey, then what is the difference genetically? Do the unproven ones lack the cream genes? Do they have red enhances that shouldn't be there? other?
As the brown leghorn was coming into its own, around the turn of the century, breeders prized darker, wine colored male birds while preferring a light olive brown female. This eventually gave rise to two separate varieties. The Dark Brown.... & The Light Brown........ It seems to have worked well for that Breed.
We could all work together, while rearing the color variety we each love, and probably be more productive in our breeding plan than ever. Everyone could be working together on improving type, egg color, whether to aid an individual breeder or as a whole for the Breed, instead of constantly butting heads on what each of truly believes a Cream Legbar is/should be. Both the Light and the Dark breed true.. both auto-sex... both lay blue (or green) eggs.... both are crested...
We should make a pact with each other to promote both varieties and push to have both varieties in the SOP.