A former California lawmaker has expressed his views concerning a Democrat-backed policy. The former lawmaker condemned the policy requiring gender-neutral toy sections in stores statewide. While criticizing the policy, the former lawmaker described the move as “beyond absurd.”
Former California State Sen. Melissa Melendez, a Republican, said the bill’s author stunned her. She said the author shook her because he has no children. In addition, Melendez said he has no idea what it’s like going to the store with children to find toys and rushing back home.
She also said she wondered why someone without children wanted to control how parents shop for their children. The bill’s author, California Democrat lawmaker Evan Low, said in 2021 that Americans need to stop gender stigmatization. Low said, “We need to stop stigmatizing what’s acceptable for certain genders and just let kids be kids.”
In addition, he said he hopes the bill’s passage will help bring an end to reinforcing “outdated stereotypes.” The policy does not outlaw gendered toy sections. However, stores with more than 500 employees must provide gender-neutral sections for children aged 12 and under.
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The law, which went into effect Monday, Jan 1, 2024, stems from a 2021 bill in the California legislature. The 2021 bill requires toy retailers with a physical location in the state, with at least 500 employees, to maintain a gender-neutral section. According to the bill, the retailers can label the area or section with discretion.
According to Low, an eight-year-old girl inspired him. The girl asked, “Why should a store tell me what a girl’s shirt or toy is?” “[My] bill will help children express themselves freely and without bias. We need to let kids be kids,” Low said. According to the bill’s text, failure to comply after Jan. 1, 2024, could leave these stores paying heavy fines.
Also, stores could be shelling out fines as high as $250 or $500, depending on the number of violations. According to the California Family Council President Jonathan Keller, “We should all have compassion for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria.”
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But Melendez disagrees.
She believes that “Activists and state legislators have no right to force retailers to espouse government-approved messages about sexuality and gender.” “There are retailers who have already decided to start doing this, and that’s probably how it should be,” Melendez said.
“Rather than the government trying to step in and co-parent with parents in California. Let retailers decide what’s best for their customers and what their clientele want,” she added.
“We don’t need the government trying to co-parent with us,” Melendez concluded. Similarly, Greg Burt, vice president of the conservative public policy nonprofit group California Family Research Council, condemned the bill. He formerly revealed that he believes the policy violates the First Amendment.
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“This is government-compelled speech,” he said. “You got the government now dictating the signage in stores about what words they can use to advertise products.” Burt said, “This is opening a Pandora’s Box.”
Touching on Burt’s statements, Melendez said the policy puts “special interest groups first.”
In addition, Melendez argued that the policy allows a small minority to dictate policies that affect all Californians. Due to the criticism of the bill, the argument for and against gender-neutral toy sections remains contentious. While some think gender-neutral toy sections are necessary, others do not.
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