California Governor Gavin Newsom has defended the state's law mandating gender-neutral toy departments in large department stores, stating that the legislation was supported by the industry itself.
During an interview on HBO's "Real Time," Newsom revealed that the department stores were already moving towards gender neutrality in their toy sections.
The host of the show, Bill Maher, questioned the necessity of such regulations, stating, "I think we have way too many regulations and lawsand this one, I think, says, if you're a department store with over 500 employees, you have to have a gender-neutral toy department."
In response, Newsom explained, "That's an interesting one because the department stores came to us supporting that and they were the ones making a case for that. They were making us they were already moving in that direction."
When Maher queried whether the department stores had requested the legislation, Newsom confirmed, "[T]hey've supported the legislation. It wasn't legislation that was initiated from my office, but it was legislation that came up with interesting support from the industry itself."
However, Newsom also acknowledged the potential for such legislation to be exploited and weaponized. He stated, "But I understand how that's exploited and good people can disagree, but that's not something we woke up and said this is a top priority for the state, when we know the top priorities are homelessness, housing, the issues of crime, quality of life, and issues related to regulation and taxes, which are all top of mind. But I get how those things are weaponized."
The Governor's comments highlight the complex dynamics between government regulation and industry practices. While the law has been criticized by some as an example of overregulation, Newsom's statements suggest that it was a response to changes already underway within the industry itself.
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