Breastfeeding & Discrimination in Australia Again

Regan Matthews at nurse-in

One month after the media storm around a mother being asked to leave a swimming pool for breastfeeding and television presenter Kochie's call for "discreet" breastfeeding, a mother in New South Wales was asked by the manager of Satellite Cafe to leave because she was breastfeeding her baby. In the exchange between the breastfeeding mother, Regan Matthews, and the cafe owner, the owner stated that breastfeeding was an "offence to humanity" and "disgusting".

After the incident became public knowledge via social media, the cafe owner issued an "apology" to Matthews, blaming the media for not educating her better about breastfeeding and the law. Today a public nurse-in was held at Satellite Cafe where around 50 mothers and their children gathered outside to protest the cafe owners' illegal actions. But the message of the nurse-in has failed to sink-in for everyone.

The Sydney Morning Herald interviewed a staff member from a hair salon next door saying that the incident was taken way out of context. Protesters overheard this woman telling the media that breastfeeding should be conducted discreetly. If you find the salon's facebook page and website you discover that while this hypocrite is all for discreet breastfeeding, the business is a big fan of pin-up and burlesque imagery:

From the salon's timeline photos

A patron of Satellite Cafe was also quoted, saying that Satellite is a cafe where he "comes to feel safe". He went on to state: 

"[Breastfeeding mothers are] completely ignoring the rights of customers to come out and say 'I don't want to see that while I'm eating'" 

Safety from breastfeeding mothers was a big concern, not just for this young man who feels threatened by it, but also from the cafe owner who refused to attend the protest "fearing for her safety". As far as I know there's no nuclear device activated when a child suckles at a breast, but I'm sure if there were, people would think twice before crossing breastfeeding mothers. Unsurprisingly the victims of discrimination are blamed for the actions and prejudices of the ignorant. 

The nurse-in was also covered on The Project on Channel Ten. For the most part it was an excellent segment, which normalised breastfeeding (I was particularly impressed with Matthews' comment that she was surprised when the cafe owner stated breastfeeding was an offence to humanity because there wouldn't be humanity were it not for breastfeeding). Unfortunately, one of the panel members: Dave "Hughesy" Hughes admitted that recently he had made his breastfeeding wife and child relocate while at a cafe because he felt uncomfortable about them feeding near the entrance to the cafe.

While his panel co-hosts seemed suitably uncomfortable with Hughesy's admission, I felt more needed to be said on the matter. While Hughesy sought validation for his actions, the reality is that he transgressed the law and discriminated against his own wife. He may have been more polite than the owner of Satellite Cafe when approaching his wife about her public breastfeeding, but his motivations and actions were ultimately the same. I wrote the following on The Project's Facebook wall:

Hughesy. If your wife had been bottle feeding your baby at the entrance to a cafe would you have asked her to move? Your discomfort with where she was breastfeeding stems from the same socially-learned offence to breastfeeding as the cafe owner who insulted Regan Matthews. It's not valid and that's why 29 years ago our federal legislators made it illegal in The Sex Discrimination Act.

It's really disappointing that there continues to be a debate about breastfeeding in public in Australia today. It's even more disappointing that a cafe owner can be so ignorant of her legal responsibility not to discriminate against her customers, particularly given this very issue was only just covered in the mainstream media one month ago! We have a long way to go despite all the media attention, a national Breastfeeding Association and public nurse-ins.

Slogans and signs made by 1 mother & her daughters for the nurse-in

ETA: Kochie is at it again! Today Tonight interviewed him for his opinion on what happened to Matthews and this time he took his call for breastfeeding mothers to be discreet further, by stating that members of the public have a right to say they're uncomfortable with mothers feeding their children. Actually, Kochie, they're not, that's what we mean when we continually try to explain to you that public breastfeeding is a legally protected right as outlined in the Sex Discrimination Act of 1984.

Today Tonight coverage

Breastfeeding &; Discrimination in Australia (the first)

Breastfeeding in public - your legal rights

Getting to know the Sex Discrimination Act: a guide for young women

Pregnancy and breastfeeding anti-discrimination board New South Wales