California seeks gender neutral displays in large stores

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could soon force large department stores to display some child products in gender neutral terms after the state Legislature passed a bill on Wednesday aimed at getting rid of traditional pink and blue marketing schemes for items like toys and toothbrushes.

The bill would not outlaw traditional boys and girls sections in department stores, but it would require retailers to 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.”

The bill would only apply to department stores with 500 or more employees, so most small businesses would be exempt. It also wouldn't apply to clothes, just toys and “childcare items,” which include hygiene and teething products.

This is at least the third time California lawmakers have tried to pass this bill, with previous versions failing to pass in 2019 and 2020. Assemblyman Evan Low, a Democrat from Campbell and the bill's author, said the measure was inspired by a 10-year-old girl named Britten whose mother works in his legislative office.

“Britten asked her mom while shopping why certain things in a store were ‘off limits’ to her because she was a girl, but would be fine if she was a boy,” Low said. “Thankfully, my colleagues recognized the pure intentions of this bill and the need to let kids be kids.”

While the bill has already passed both chambers in the state Legislature, it must return to the Assembly one more time for a procedural vote before lawmakers can send it to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will decide whether to sign it into law.

Some large retailers are already rethinking how they display their products. Target Corp., with 1,914 stores across the United States, announced in...