California will require large retailers to provide gender-neutral toy sections

[Budi]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-09/california-will-require-large-retailers-to-provide-gender-neutral-toy-sections%3f_amp=true

California became the first state in the nation Saturday to adopt a law requiring large retail stores to provide gender-neutral toy sections under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The new law, which takes effect in 2024, says that retail stores with 500 or more employees must sell some toys and child-care products outside of areas specifically labeled by gender. Retailers can continue to offer other toys and child-care goods in traditional boys and girls sections if they choose to.

“No one thing is determinative of where a person ends up in life, but you know these all have a cumulative effect and, especially during childhood, children spend so much time in play with toys that it’s their workshop when they’re growing up in terms of learning about different kinds of things,” he said. “It can help to foster that interest early on.”

Leaper said boys and girls section also create a stigma for children who are gender-nonconforming or exploring other gender identities.

“But even for kids that identify with their birth-assigned gender there may be some children who want to play with some of these toys, but then end up avoiding them because they don’t want to be considered abnormal somehow,” Leaper said.

SNIP
Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), who introduced the legislation, compared his legislation to earlier laws in California that require publicly traded companies to add women to their corporate boards, force employers to release pay data to improve gender equity and require many single-occupancy bathrooms to use “all gender” signs.

Retailers that fail to comply with the new law will be subject to minimal civil penalties of $250 for a first violation and $500 for additional violations.
MORE...

[I_UndergroundPanther]

1. Im transgender,and gender fluid

Growing up in the 70's I got toys from the boys side and the girls side.

I had matchbox cars and an easy bake oven. A cher doll and
A football. My parents let me pick the toys I wanted and didnt give me shit regarding the toys gender bias.

I am really thankful for that.

She let me buy my first boys clothes in 6th grade. I wore them with a few rhinestone bracelets.

Sometimes I think early on they knew something was up with me gender wise.

[leftstreet]

2. Why not just take down the gender specific signs?

I'm assuming this is based on toy aisles saying "boys" or "girls" ??

Take down all the signs and just let the kids pick out whatever fucking toys they want.

[roamer65]

3. +1000000

Same goes for clothes and all children’s items.

[LeftInTX]

14. I think the parents need the clothing signs....

Lets face it, you've got girls who need bras and stuff like that...

For the same reason there are women's and men's section for clothing...
Do men really want to try on just-my-size maternity stretch skinny legs, jeggings??
Well some men may want them, but they are probably in a tiny minority.

[MichMan]

19. I know when I pass by the bra section, I can't tell if they are for men or women without a sign.

[LeftInTX]

28. Alot of times, stores are so cluttered that you can't tell one section starts or stops.

Bras kinda stand out, but when I'm shopping at WalMart, when it comes to women's clothes, l can't tell which section is which. They no longer have signs for their junior's, women's, maternity and plus size sections. So I don't know what's what and I spend alot of time rummaging through stuff. I have to often look at the tags, "I must be in the plus section..."....And many times it's very hard to tell women's from junior's via the tags...Juniors and women's use almost the same numbering system. I'm only 5 feet tall. So, I might see a cute dress and I won't know if it's juniors or women's until I try the thing on. Junior's are always too small in the bust.

[jimfields33]

5. Great idea

Sometimes I think politicians forget how close brick and motar stores are to closing. This is adding to the already expensive inventory they must have.

[Ms. Toad]

24. It doesn't add to the inventory, it just requires them to stop segregating toys by gender. n/t

[sakabatou]

13. THIS.

[BannonsLiver]

17. Because it's not political enough and no one would get the credit.

[Haggard Celine]

4. Instead of having a gender-neutral toy section,

wouldn't it make more sense to just put all of the toys together into one toy section? Seems like it would relieve some anxiety over deciding where to find the correct toys. Besides, I'm not so sure that neutral toys are what kids want. I've always gotten the impression that it isn't harmful to associate certain kinds of toys with certain genders. What's harmful is telling kids that just because they are (x) gender, they must prefer (x) toys.

[royable]

6. How much of a pent-up demand might there be for toy EZ-Bake Bulldozers?

Glam and Glitter Party Wardrobe Dress-Up GI Joe and Friends?

My Little Pony Model Railroad?

Motocross decal-themed watercolors kit?

Think crossovers!

Seriously, though.
Signs for "boys" and "girls" toys shouldn't even be allowed.

[LeftInTX]

15. LOL

[arlyellowdog]

7. Target is the only big toy store I can think of

This seems like an out of date concern. Modern kids don’t see barriers by gender. I take the grandkids and there are sections, but there don’t seem to be any gender signs. My grandsons used to shop the vehicles and the toy baby carriages and dolls and most of the kids just went from section to section. Both boys and girls buy Skye, the girl pup pilot of Paw Patrol because she’s the coolest pup. They love the glitter and the monster trucks. But, the kids can’t play with the sample Target toys anymore…Covid.

[LeftInTX]

18. I was looking at pictures of the toys section at WalMart there are no gender signs

[Texaswitchy]

8. I like this.

I liked so called boy toys.

Let kids pick what they want.

[rampartc]

9. a law?

sure, this is the correct thing to do, but this is "war on christmas" level ammuntion in the culture war.

[canetoad]

10. Fuck them

Worried about a culture war?

Women are conditioned from babyhood in ways that males are not. That conditioning needs to be ended, disparaged and repudiated.

[rampartc]

11. i agree with the "fuck them."

those toy guns and toy soldiers are conditioning tools that it would perhaps be premature to stop in a dangerous world?

[BannonsLiver]

16. You can practically feel new GOP voters getting their wings with this stupid shit.

[LeftInTX]

12. Reminds me of unisex and then in the 80s, there were crossover toys/play activities

I think kids are instinctive and will select activities that they prefer regardless of how they are placed in stores. TV ads will still cater to specific sexes anyway.

I did not know they even had girls and boys toys sections anymore????

I know they still have girls and boys clothing sections along with women's and men's.

[fescuerescue]

20. They should outlaw pink and baby blue for kids toys to

Those are sexist colors.

[radicalleft]

21. A solution in search of a problem...

Is this really an issue?

[Vinca]

22. I've never been aware there was a boy's toy store and a girl's toy store.

All the trucks are in one place because it makes sense and all the dolls are in another place because that makes sense. Are they going to have Barbie riding a Tonka truck???

[sarisataka]

23. It must be a California thing. I have never been in a store

That restricted kids to assigned gender sections. Around here it is just labeled "Toys"

[Ms. Toad]

25. Now if they can just force McDonald's to stop asking if the happy meal is for a boy or girl.

My daughter always rolled her eyes when we occasionally bought her a happy meal through the drive through.

The invariable question they asked was, "Is it for a boy or a girl." I ask them what the toy options are, and they keep asking, "Is it for a boy or a girl." Ultmately they break down and tell me. And invariably, my daughter wants the one they have labeled for girls. But I ask her which toy her best buddy would want (just as invariably the one they have labeled for boys), and whether her friend should have to hear her mom lie about her child's gender to have the choice of toy she wants.

McDonald's insists they instruct their employees to ask about a hot wheel or a Barbie (the typical choice), but given that I was NEVER ONCE asked that question, I have to conclude they are lying - and that their cash register keys are coded "boy" and "girl."

[Happy Hoosier]

26. This seems unnecessary.

Just take down the gender category signs. DONE.

[cinematicdiversions]

27. Is California trying to get republicans elected

I keep thinking what Bill Maher says if your policy sounds like an onion headline.