Ahh, yes, California just got more woke— if you can believe that.
Under Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA.) new bill, retailers in the state must create gender-neutral toy sections for children or risk being fined hundreds of dollars.
According to a law signed by Newsom in 2021, California-based department stores with 500 or more employees selling "childcare items or toys" must have a gender-neutral section "regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or boys."
If retailers defy the law, they will get slapped with a $500 fine.
"Childcare items" include anything designed to help children under the age of 12 sleep, eat, relax, or to help them with sucking or teething.
The state's Democratic Congressman Evan Low supported the legislation, telling the Associated Press, "We need to stop stigmatizing what's acceptable for certain genders and just let kids be kids."
"My hope is this bill encourages more businesses across California and the U.S. to avoid reinforcing harmful and outdated stereotypes," Low said.
Low compared the bill to similar laws that require publicly traded companies to add women to their corporate boards, force employers to release pay data to improve gender equity, and require single-occupancy bathrooms to use "all-gender" signs.
He called the segregation of toys by gender the "antithesis of modern thinking."
In 2015, Target discontinued boys and girls sections and instead opted for gender-neutral aisles. A year later, the corporation introduced a gender-neutral line for children.
Following this move, Target announced that transgender people would be allowed to use whichever bathroom they chose. However, three months later, the store responded to protests by spending $20 million to add a private bathroom to each store.
In addition, Lego became more inclusive and announced that gender stereotypes would no longer limit its toys.