Gender Neutral Toy Aisles and Illinois Book Ban Law

California retailers with over 500 employees are now required to maintain gender-neutral toy aisles as per a new state law effective from January 1, 2024. The law allows for separate boys' and girls' aisles along with a third, gender-neutral section. The retailers have the discretion to label these sections, which must contain a reasonable range of toys appealing to all genders. Stores failing to adhere to this law will face fines of $250 for the first violation and up to $500 for repeat offenses. In related news, Illinois has implemented a law outlawing book bans, mandating all public libraries to adopt the Library Bill of Rights as enacted by the American Library Association.