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California bill AB-1084 could potentially end gender labels for department stores starting as early as Jan. 1, 2024. The tactic of removing boy and girl labels is something that seems unnecessary. We need to just let kids be kids and leave things how they are. There is no issue as far as having these labels. Kids understand what they like and don’t like and I don’t see how changing these labels would change anything different. Hopefully this is a bill that ultimately does not get passed for the sake of our kids. 

Gender equality has been a topic that has been talked about for years and years. We first had the discussion about women being able to have the same work opportunities as men. Then went on to talk about women getting the same amount of pay as men. 

Well now, the discussion is a lot different from that and in today’s day in age it has to deal with our kids. A new California bill has emerged over newspapers and social media lately that deals with ending gender labels in department stores.

The bill would ban gender-based toy sections in department stores, detailing that it would mandate large department stores to stop separating toys and child care items into boys and girls. 

To think about it in another way, the bill wants to break it up in 3 specific categories: child care items, clothes, and toys. Any California department store with 500 or more employees could face a 1,000 fine for violating this section starting Jan 1, 2024.

It’s honestly crazy to think that we would have to bring up a situation like this. Why shouldn’t we have kids know what section they are shopping in? Children take in so much information at a young age and we adults should be leading them on the right paths.

In today’s world, there are issues that go on everyday that don’t show the best representation on how we should act. 

Eliminating gender labels is something that could be confusing for a child. Children question a lot of things at a young age. Gender should not be one of those things that they question.

“One way to support positive development is to monitor your child’s developmental milestones- how they play, learn, speak, and act,” according to the CDC. Learning is very crucial to a child’s development. Any type of delay or drastic change into a child’s development can cause future problems and these problems can occur in a place like a classroom. 

It seems as if people don’t realize how much of an effect this can really have on a child that goes way beyond which toy to buy or which pair of shoes to put on. 

“In the state of California, we hope to inspire, for example, more girls to get into science and engineering and mathematics, we want to ensure that those periodic tables and dinosaurs are not in the boys section,” Evan Low, Chairman of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, said.

After reading the statement by Low, I don’t exactly see how this would encourage more women to be in these professions. Regardless if you have these toys in a boys section or a section for all. How would we really know if little girls would still end up choosing those toys? Only time will tell of how much of an effect doing this would have. 

Overall, what the bill is trying to propose is something unethical in my eyes. We should stop trying to change certain things because it may only make the situation worse. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

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