California Governor Gavin Newsom discussed the state’s law requiring gender-neutral toy departments, noting that department stores had supported the legislation and were already moving in that direction.
He acknowledged concerns about how such regulations can be exploited and emphasized that the state’s top priorities are homelessness, housing, crime, quality of life, and regulatory and tax issues.
Newsom highlighted the complexity of the situation and how some issues can be “weaponized.”
“I think we have way too many regulations and laws…and this one, I think, says, if you’re a department store with over 500 employees, you have to have a gender-neutral toy department,” Bill Maher said.
“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,” Newsom said.
“They wanted you to make a law about them?” Maher asked.
“[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,” Newsom said.
“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.”
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