California retail stores may be asked to eliminate separate sections for “boys” and “girls” toys, clothing, and child care items, if a bill introduced last month by Democrats in the California state legislature becomes law.
It was introduced on Feb. 18 and remains in committee. The bill proposes fines of up to $1,000 for stores that don’t comply.
“Rather than having a separate boy’s or girl’s section, let’s just have a kid’s section. And that’s what the conversation is about. Let’s make sure that we remove the kind of stigma, the type of bullying that we still see, especially in this day and age,” Low said.
The legislation would prohibit larger retail stores from using signage that indicates items are for either boys or girls.
It would also require state retail department stores to dedicate a section of their websites “ to the sale of those items and articles that is titled, at the discretion of the retailer, ‘kids’, ‘unisex,’ or ‘gender neutral,’ as specified.”
The legislation if it is passed, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
It comes amid a progressive political push for governments to enforce the social ideals of “inclusivity” and “equality.”
Last month, toy-maker Hasbro announced that it was dropping the “Mr.” from the brand’s name so all could feel “welcome in the Potato Head world.”
