I don’t mind women breastfeeding in public. Doesn’t gross me out, doesn’t spoil my appetite, doesn’t bother me in the least. But we need fuckin’ laws about it? It’s a “right” now? Someone being grossed by it is comparable to a racist?
There aren’t enough roll-eye smilies in the world.
Yes, we need laws about it, because nursing women were being asked to leave public places all over the country.
There apparently were enough people out there who were so squicked out by the sight of an innocent child suckling at his mother’s breast that they had to go get cops and store managers involved and make those “horrid perverted women” leave the premises immediately.
I don’t know that it’s comparable to being a racist, but, yes, shit like that was happening all over the place and laws had to be put in place to protect women who needed to breastfeed their children.
:eek:
I don’t have a problem with breastfeeding in public, in general, but I have got to say that I’m not sure how I would feel about this. What if the kid is five years old (as has happened)? Should moomy still get to “feed” their five year old? Irrespective of what the law says, I probabaly would not like to see that in a B K Lounge.
Not to be a dick about it, but so? Why is being asked to feed your kid somewhere else such a massive invasion of someone’s civil rights? And if there were so many people who were freaked out over it (God only knows why…), why should their feelings take a backseat to the feelings of people who think breastfeeding is just spiffy? (Which, once again, includes me. I have no problem with it, I just don’t get the outrage at people who do have a problem with it.)
First, re: moomy. Fuck you and the cow you rode in on.
Second, my 15-month-old still gets valuable nutrition from breastmilk, better than the crap at BK, notwithstanding that I like the occasional order of onion rings m’self.
Luckily your opinion of breastfeeding in public matters not one whit outside of your ability to restrict it on your own property. And there is no mention of age in the CA breastfeeding law.
My guess is you don’t have kids, but as any mom of a little toddler will tell you they are really still babies, and not just short adults with all the associated hangups about sexuality some might like to project onto them.
Twiddle
Guess you aren’t going to believe that was an innocent typo, eh?
Yeah, I’m sure it does get valuable nutrition. I suppose if it was 5 years old it still would get valuable nutrition. Are you saying that you ought to be able to breastfeed a 5 year old child in public? Again, irrespective of the law, surely the public is entitled to be a bit weirded out by watching a mother suckle its five year old spawn while trying to enjoy a flame broiled piece of delectable fast-food goodness? No?
If there is a breastfeeding-weirded-out-spectrum with newborn baby at one end and twelve year old middle schooler at the other, I’m not sure where I think 15 months lies. That was really my only comment, and I was only sort of pondering it out loud. 15 months just strikes me as being old to still being breast fed, and in particular to be brestfed in public. By the time the little rat can run around one would think it would be able to eat some solid food and not keep drinking din din from moomy. Or do you just let it wash down its happy meal with a nip of milk? Either way, there’s no need to get all hostile about it. I’m not trying to take the bottle, or boobie, from your “baby.”
You aren’t one of those rabid earth mother types are you? You know, the placenta soup crowd? I don’t know, but I’m getting a distinctly earth-mother vibe here.
Really? Why? It’s just flesh.
Assuming the person in question is not doing anything offensive - that the breast is simply visible, what’s the big deal?
Any case law in support of that proposition?
Only negative. I did a very cursory search but only turned up instances of the “hostile environment” theory being used in employment discrimination cases.
However, it does make a certain amount of sense. First, there are some First Amendment issues that arise in the context of communications to the public.
Second, there are lots of businesses that create “hostile environments” for certain sections of the public, e.g. strip clubs. Allowing such an environment in a work place would clearly be illegal sex discrimination. However, it’s not illegal sex discrimination even though many women would feel extremely uncomfortable about going in for a drink.
Now if these clubs actually refused to serve a woman who did come in, it would be illegal. But it isn’t, apparently, illegal for them to create an environment that makes women uncomfortable since these strip clubs (I assume) do not actually discriminate.
Why couldn’t you extend that analysis to race, or anything else, for that matter? Would it really be actionable for the manager of a Burger King to privately and politely say to a black patron,
“Sir, you’re welcome at Burger King and we’ll be very pleased to serve you if you want. But in this part of town, most of our customers are slack-jawed, racist rednecks. You don’t have to, of course, but I would consider it a personal favour if you would eat lunch at the McDonalds across the street instead.”
Just to forestall any tedious squeeling and running about, I’m not suggesting this is a good idea. I’m suggeting that it may not amount to actionable discrimination.
Are you sure about that? So far, we have references to the law in UT and CA, but how do you know there are similar laws in all 50 states? I kinda doubt it.
I agree. If a glimpse of a bare breast is OK, then it’s OK, whether it was bared to feed a child or just for fun.
What does legality have to do with it? It’s not illegal to burp or fart but if it becomes a problem they might ask you to leave or take it to the bathroom as well. Personally I think there are more appropriate places to breast feed then in front of everyone else in a public place.
Marc
What is inappropriate about breastfeeding in public?
Jesus, I never knew we had so many boob-a-phobes on the SDMB.
I don’t really think it is appropriate at a restaurant where there are many other people eating. Not that I’d make a big deal out of it. I’d rather eat lunch in a restaurant populated by lactating women then have to sit next to a smoker while I eat.
Marc
Ya know, I started reading this thread thinking that it was a pretty lame OP. However, as a father of twins who were nursed for longer than Twiddle’s has been so far, I gotta say that there are some mightily narrow-minded people in the world. Perhaps I’m an eternal optimist, but I expected the SDMB to be more enlightened than that.
Sigh.
I don’t care if women breast feed in public. They could set up a conga line and pass along a whole bunch of kids to play Duck Duck Nurse. I do have one problem though. Ok , as far as I can tell, BK never asked her to leave. They merely asked her to be more discreet. Nurse in another area where the other customers can’t see or cover up a bit . Whats the big deal ? They didn’t say “Stop doing that or leave.” I think she’s making a big deal out of nothing.This doesn’t sound like a reason for a big call to arms to defend womens’ rights to me. She’s making it sound like BK told her to wash the dishes cuz she’s a woman.
Hypothetical: If my erect penis was sticking out of my fly at a restaurant, would you be disgusted or offended? (It would obviously be illegal, but that’s not what I’m asking.)
Ah, there’s the rub. Lots of people consider breastfeeding in public to be offensive. I’m not saying I agree with them, but there are plenty of people who believe that.
“Offensive” is in the eye of the beholder.
As to the corporate apology, it was weak, but better than nothing.
You poor bastard.
No nipples, no “natural”, no “decency”, no “Won’t somebody think of the children!”, not an erect penis in sight, no hot buttons at all.
All you’ve done is fight ignorance.
A quietman indeed.
The still, small voice on this one, I think.
Before I start, I want to say that this question has absolutely nothing to do with my opinion on whether public breastfeeding is a big deal or not. That’s why I say the following is “tangential”:
Hmm. Here’s sort of a tangential question that’s come to mind. A woman is breastfeeding in public. A man stops and starts staring at her bare breast with a huge grin on his face. He’s obviously watching for salacious reasons, but he’s not expressing this in any way directly to her.
My question, especially to those who firmly believe that public breast feeding is no big deal, is: can he be arrested for sexual harassment or anything of that nature? If the breast feeding is NBD, then one might be able to argue that the action is no more dangerous or salacious than staring at the legs of a passing woman wearing a short skirt.
Hope I’m being clear, here…