A new law in California mandates that toy stores, or toy sections, must include a gender neutral section. This means that while stores can separate some toys by gender, there must also be a section that is "gender inclusive" to encourage boys and girls to consider toys traditionally marketed towards the opposite gender. This may be fine for some toys like Legos, where the toy itself is not gendered.
But this is dangerous for parents and the culture when toy companies begin to remove gender from toys altogether. In 2019, Mattel released their first "gender neutral" Barbie, a doll that can be either a boy or a girl. And earlier this year, Mr. Potato Head dropped the "Mister," becoming just "Potato Head" with interchangeable outfits and body parts to remove references to the toy's gender. Toy companies are misleading children to believe that men and women are interchangeable.
If you are looking for a way to have a conversation about gender difference in an age-appropriate way, we at the National Abstinence Clearinghouse encourage you to check out the children's books from Brave Books, particularly Elephants Are Not Birds.