If you're one of my Facebook friends or follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed I've got something up my butt about public breastfeeding right now.

Ironically, I personally do not enjoy publicly
breastfeeding my kid. At least not now that he's almost 2 years old and
people look at me like we belong in the pages of the National Geographic.

I got to experience this again and again during our move from Arizona to Massachusetts with a cranky toddler who, after being sufficiently pissed off by the packing up of his toys, rediscovered the wonder of nursing. In every. single. public. venue. possible. And lemme tell y'all, those Kansas oldsters in the McDonald's were not keen to it.

Frannie to Zelda: "Well, she's STILL NURSING HIM."
Zelda to Frannie: "He's gotta be EIGHTEEN MONTHS OLD."

Actually, Ladies, he was 19 months at the time, but very astute (and loud) observations you made while dipping your apple pies into your ice cream cones. Stay classy, Kansas.

It seems odd that in 2010, folks are still harassing women who are simply trying to feed their kids, even if that means *gasp* it has to be done in public every now and then.

I found it even odder that in a metro area as supposedly enlightened as Boston, a mom was recently kicked out of a Woburn, MA YMCA for nursing her three-month-old baby.

What the Fresh Fuck (to use one of my favorite blogger's phrases), People? Really???

Here's an open letter to the YMCA from that mom, which she has asked folks to forward widely:

Open letter to YMCA re: Breasfeeding. Please forward widely

Posted by: "liz and ricky"

Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:33 am (PDT)

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing this letter to follow up on a conversation I had yesterday with
Amy Turner regarding my legal right to breastfeed in the Child Watch daycare
portion of the North Suburban YMCA in Woburn, MA. My overall goal in
addressing this issue is a peaceful resolution, but staff education on the
local level, and attention brought to this issue within the
regional/national structure of the YMCA, are also extremely important to
me. Upon researching this issue over the last day, I have come across
numerous incidents that have made the news regarding the YMCA and
breastfeeding in recent years. It is clear to me that a national policy
needs to be established. Though I am aware that this is not within your
control on the local level, it is within your power to educate your own
employees, and to post signs within your establishment that support and
encourage breastfeeding in all areas where mothers and children are
otherwise allowed to be.

To restate the chain of events yesterday for anyone other than Amy who may
read this letter:

I returned to child watch to pick up my three children, Ricky, 5, Caroline,
2, and Christian, 3 months old. Christian was hungry so I sat down to nurse
him in the Child Watch area. I was told in no uncertain terms that I could
not feed him there. I informed the workers that what they were telling me
was illegal, and that I am allowed to breastfeed wherever I am able to be
lawfully present. They insisted that the "no eating within Child Watch"
policy included breastfeeding. She also stated that I would be "exposing
myself" and the "kids would see it." I again told them that they were being
discriminatory and that my right to breastfeed is protected by law. At this
point the other childcare worker stepped in and agreed with her coworker,
and they both told me that I must go into the hall in order to breastfeed,
and that I needed to take it up with the director if I had an issue with
this policy. At that point I left with my hungry baby to find another place
to nurse. It was safer to leave my two year old daughter screaming in Child
Watch than to try to chase her around the Y while nursing my baby. She was
obviously upset by this turn of events and was crying as I left.

When I spoke to the director about this issue, Amy Turner, she assured me
she would look into the issue for me, and she seemed to take my complaint
seriously. During our initial conversation, when I informed her that the
YMCA's actions were illegal, she also made it a point to tell me that my
"membership can be terminated at any time, for any reason." This statement
concerns me very much, because I value my YMCA membership, and do not want
my membership terminated. On the other hand, I do not want to be pressured
by the threat of losing my membership to not follow up on this violation of
my legal rights, and I feel strongly that staff education on this matter is
of the utmost importance.

The law that I referred to yesterday in my conversations with various YMCA
employees was passed recently in Massachusetts. It is MGL chapter 111,
section 221, and it states, "A mother may breastfeed her child in any
public place or establishment or place which is open to and accepts or
solicits the patronage of the general public* and where the mother and child
may otherwise be lawfully present. No person or entity shall "restrict,
harass, or penalize a mother" who is breastfeeding her child. *with the
exception of houses of worship or places of religious instruction." In my
conversation with Amy yesterday, I read the law to her, and she expressed
that it was possible the YMCA was covered under the religious exemption.
However, since no religious classes happen at the Woburn YMCA, and certainly
not in the Child Watch area, and it also cannot be considered a "place of
worship," the religious exemption under the law does not apply in this case.

Any private establishment that invites patronage, like the YMCA, is included
under this law. It is my greatest hope that this mistake can be rectified
by the YMCA, by first and foremost changing the policy on a local level in
the Child Watch center, by finding ways to educate all current and future
employees on the legality of this issue, and by posting signs which reassure
and encourage breastfeeding mothers so that they know the YMCA supports
breastfeeding within their establishment. On a national YMCA level, I would
like attention brought to this issue and my complaint copied and sent to all
relevant parties, so that the YMCA can work on its overall policies in order
to avoid this kind of situation in future interactions with mothers and
their children.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Gomez