"A bill drafted a couple years ago was recently signed into law by governor Gavin Newsom, making it so many toy stores must have gender-neutral toy sections." --Maia Cavagnolo, 7th grade
When you walk into toy stores like Target or Toys R Us, you usually see one side for “boys,” and another for “girls.” While this can be very unfair for trans or non-binary kids—or for cis kids who don’t enjoy playing with stereotypical toys for their gender—that’s the way it’s always been. Until now. A bill drafted a couple years ago was recently signed into law by governor Gavin Newsom, making it so many toy stores must have gender-neutral toy sections.
“A new California law going into effect at the start of the year will require large retail stores with 500 or more employees statewide to have a gender neutral section for toys,” says JR Stone, who wrote New CA Law Requires Gender-Neutral Toy Sections At Large Retail Stores. “This new law doesn't take away a boys or girls section. It only adds the gender-neutral section, putting similar products that had been marketed for girls or boys, side-by-side in an aisle; along with toys that could appeal to everyone,” Stone continues.
In their article for CNN, Cheri Mossburg says, “The law stems from a 2021 bill in the California legislature.” The official bill states:
This bill would require a retail department store that is physically located in California that has a total of 500 or more employees across all California retail department store locations that sells childcare items or toys to maintain a gender neutral section or area, to be labeled at the discretion of the retailer, in which a reasonable selection of the items and toys for children that it sells shall be displayed, regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys. Beginning on January 1, 2024, the bill would make a retail department store that fails to comply with these provisions liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $250 for a first violation or $500 for a subsequent violation, as provided.
Winter Johnson, a Literary Arts sixth grader says that she doesn’t “like having gendered aisles. I don’t think there should be toys that only certain genders can use.”
Sixth grade Cece Burger in Literary Arts has a similar opinion. “I think it’s kind of stupid. They are trying to enforce these things. It’s not like there is a cop in each aisle saying ‘you’re not a boy, you can’t go in this aisle.’” Burger also says that gendered aisles make “you feel like you’re different from everybody else. It’s telling someone from a young age that since they’re ‘this’ they have to fit into ‘this’ standard.”
Mossburg writes that “California Assembly member Evan Low said he was inspired to introduce this bill by an 8-year-old [Britten] who asked, ‘Why should a store tell me what a girl’s shirt or toy is?’” Many people are very happy with this new bill, and see it as a step forward, like Low. “[Britten’s] bill will help children express themselves freely and without bias. We need to let kids be kids,” Low said.
But other people aren't so welcoming of the new law. “We should all have compassion for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria,” said California Family Council President Jonathan Keller. “But activists and state legislators have no right to force retailers to espouse government-approved messages about sexuality and gender. It’s a violation of free speech and it’s just plain wrong.” Many people are discontent with Keller’s statement, like Johnson. “That’s stupid [and] wasn’t called for,” she says.
Burger has an interesting angle on this. They explain their opinion that toy stores are just wasting money making new aisles, and should “just remove the aisle [labelings]! There was never a problem to begin with if they just removed the aisle [labelings]!” Johnson backs this up. “I think they could make a toy section that is not gendered, that is just for children.”
However, both Johnson and Burger are confused about what the neutral aisles will even have in them. “A pride flag? Rainbow care bears?” Johnson asks. “What are [they] going to put in there that’s different? Toys are toys,” Burger says. Johnson laments that kids “will grow up to accept they can’t change anything about [gendered toys].”
“A new California law going into effect at the start of the year will require large retail stores with 500 or more employees statewide to have a gender neutral section for toys,” says JR Stone, who wrote New CA Law Requires Gender-Neutral Toy Sections At Large Retail Stores. “This new law doesn't take away a boys or girls section. It only adds the gender-neutral section, putting similar products that had been marketed for girls or boys, side-by-side in an aisle; along with toys that could appeal to everyone,” Stone continues.
In their article for CNN, Cheri Mossburg says, “The law stems from a 2021 bill in the California legislature.” The official bill states:
This bill would require a retail department store that is physically located in California that has a total of 500 or more employees across all California retail department store locations that sells childcare items or toys to maintain a gender neutral section or area, to be labeled at the discretion of the retailer, in which a reasonable selection of the items and toys for children that it sells shall be displayed, regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys. Beginning on January 1, 2024, the bill would make a retail department store that fails to comply with these provisions liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $250 for a first violation or $500 for a subsequent violation, as provided.
Winter Johnson, a Literary Arts sixth grader says that she doesn’t “like having gendered aisles. I don’t think there should be toys that only certain genders can use.”
Sixth grade Cece Burger in Literary Arts has a similar opinion. “I think it’s kind of stupid. They are trying to enforce these things. It’s not like there is a cop in each aisle saying ‘you’re not a boy, you can’t go in this aisle.’” Burger also says that gendered aisles make “you feel like you’re different from everybody else. It’s telling someone from a young age that since they’re ‘this’ they have to fit into ‘this’ standard.”
Mossburg writes that “California Assembly member Evan Low said he was inspired to introduce this bill by an 8-year-old [Britten] who asked, ‘Why should a store tell me what a girl’s shirt or toy is?’” Many people are very happy with this new bill, and see it as a step forward, like Low. “[Britten’s] bill will help children express themselves freely and without bias. We need to let kids be kids,” Low said.
But other people aren't so welcoming of the new law. “We should all have compassion for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria,” said California Family Council President Jonathan Keller. “But activists and state legislators have no right to force retailers to espouse government-approved messages about sexuality and gender. It’s a violation of free speech and it’s just plain wrong.” Many people are discontent with Keller’s statement, like Johnson. “That’s stupid [and] wasn’t called for,” she says.
Burger has an interesting angle on this. They explain their opinion that toy stores are just wasting money making new aisles, and should “just remove the aisle [labelings]! There was never a problem to begin with if they just removed the aisle [labelings]!” Johnson backs this up. “I think they could make a toy section that is not gendered, that is just for children.”
However, both Johnson and Burger are confused about what the neutral aisles will even have in them. “A pride flag? Rainbow care bears?” Johnson asks. “What are [they] going to put in there that’s different? Toys are toys,” Burger says. Johnson laments that kids “will grow up to accept they can’t change anything about [gendered toys].”
