California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a woke law on Saturday forcing stores to have 'gender neutral' sections where traditional blue and pink toys and toothbrushes are banned.
Large department stores must now display products like toys and toothbrushes in gender-neutral ways - a win for LGBT advocates who say the pink and blue hues of traditional marketing methods pressure children to conform to gender stereotypes.
The new law, however, does not completely outlaw traditional boys and girls sections at department stores. Instead it says large stores must also have a gender neutral section to display 'a reasonable selection' of items 'regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys'.
That does not include clothes. The law only applies to toys and 'childcare items,' which include hygiene and teething products.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (pictured) signed off on a new law on Saturday that does not completely outlaw traditional boys and girls sections at stores but instead says large stores must also have a gender neutral section to display
The law, which took three tries for Democrats to get passed, is a win for LGBT advocates who say the pink and blue hues of traditional marketing methods pressure children to conform to gender stereotypes
The law also only applies to stores with at least 500 employees, meaning small businesses are exempt.
Author of the bill Evan Low - an assemblyman and Democrat from San Jose - said he was 'incredibly grateful' Newsom signed the bill this year.
It was Democrats' third attempt in the state Legislature trying to pass this law, with similar bills failing in 2019 and 2020.
Low said he was inspired by the 10-year-old girl daughter of one of his staffers who asked her mom why certain items in the store were 'off limits' to her because she was a girl.
Author of the bill Evan Low - an assemblyman and Democrat from San Jose - said he was inspired by the 10-year-old girl daughter of one of his staffers who asked her mom why certain items in the store were 'off limits' to her because she was a girl
'We need to stop stigmatizing what's acceptable for certain genders and just let kids be kids,' Low said.
'My hope is this bill encourages more businesses across California and the US to avoid reinforcing harmful and outdated stereotypes,' he added.
While California is the first state to require this, some large department stores have already changed how they display their products. Target Corp, which has 1,915 stores across the United States, announced in 2015 it would stop using some gender-based signs in its stores.
The law was opposed by some Republicans and some conservative groups, who argued the government should not tell parents how to shop for their children.
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