Dear all --

I am Emma Kwasnica, tandem-nursing mother, currently pregnant with our third
(what's the word for when you have *three* nurslings ? Tri-andem-nursing ?
;-) ).  I am an aspiring midwife, BF Counselor, Childbirth Educator, and I
currently am fighting for 'informed choice' for all childbearing/-rearing
women, at a grassroots level.  I am an avid reader and learn incredible
amounts from you here on Lactnet, though I rarely post.  I am posting here
today, however, to let you know about a simple way of encouraging the
re-normalisation of breastfeeding.

I understand not wanting to clog the list with banter on the topic, so
please take this message simply for what it's worth : a call to activism, if
you feel so inspired.

Background :

I am the Facebook user who had her entire account disabled over the
breastfeeding photos controversy last month (fellow Lactivist Morgan
Gallagher blogged about my story, here :
http://one-of-those-women.blogspot.com/2009/01/distraught-mother-speaks-hey-facebook.html)
.  They deleted everything I had ever posted on the social networking site,
including all of my midwifery-related research (I run a lively discussion
group on there, called 'Informed Choice : Birth & Beyond').  After 19 days,
however, Facebook re-instated my account (though they did not acknowledge
their wrong-doing, other than the reactivating of my account).  This we take
as a small, but positive step on the road to Facebook realising the scope of
their harmful policy, a policy which prevents more women from breastfeeding
for longer periods of time (or breastfeeding at all), and which prevents
babies from receiving more (or ANY...) of what they biologically expect to
receive : human milk at their mother's breast.

To this day, however, Facebook continues to randomly delete breastfeeding
photos, and terminate member accounts; deplorably, breastfeeding photos are
classified (arbitrarily) as a 'depiction of nudity' by the Facebook Terms of
Service.  And so begins the second wave of our on-line protest (I am an
administrator for the 'virtual' event, to be held on Saturday, February
21st), which this time around also includes a second component : a
letter-writing campaign.  All relevant info, including how to participate
simply by changing your profile picture and status line for one day, can be
found here :

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?sid=dc3f0b4b49fa59bc78e0db5483a7e749&eid=74481493344

Here is an explanation of our group philosophy, to clarify exactly what our
position is on the matter :

*Women post breastfeeding photos because they want to demonstrate or
celebrate breastfeeding, just as they do other aspects of their lives.

*Women post breastfeeding photos because breastfeeding is a normal part of
their day and what they do as mothers.

*Women post breastfeeding photos because others want to see their children
doing things that are healthy and important, such as eating. Breastfeeding
has well-known unsurpassable benefits for the health of children and mothers
in nutrition, disease prevention, and emotional bonding.

*Breastfeeding is not inherently a private or intimate activity. Almost all
American states have passed laws promoting breastfeeding and allowing it in
public in the manner a woman chooses.

*Facebook's deletion of many breastfeeding photos goes against the main
biological purpose of women's breasts and how they function. Its posting of
ads in which scantily clad women use sex to sell things makes it even
harder for women to counter the harmful public prejudice against
breastfeeding.

*Facebook's deletion of many breastfeeding photos stigmatizes breastfeeding.
Its description of some ways of doing it as obscene is wrong and demeans and
insults women.

*Because of the quantity of breastfeeding photos on Facebook, its deletion
of some implies telling women how not to breastfeed. Because of Facebook's
scope and error, that is harmful to the public good.

*Women with large areolas cannot latch a child on without exposing some skin
which Facebook has arbitrarily deemed bad to show. Regardless of physique,
latching on and off are necessary parts of the breastfeeding process.

*Women breastfeeding, with or without much breast exposure, are not nude.

*Women breastfeeding, with or without much breast exposure, are not obscene.

*Women breastfeeding, with or without much breast exposure, are not
pornographic.

*Women breastfeeding, with or without much breast exposure, are not
performing a sexual act. Their breasts and parts of them are not classified
as sex organs. Their breasts are mammary glands which lactate for the
optimal survival of humans.

*Women breastfeeding, with or without much breast exposure, do not harm
children. What harms children is their not seeing how breasts are used for
feeding children.

* Include the request that Facebook leave all breastfeeding pictures in
place, that is the most important point in this campaign.

If you believe you can help to make a difference, I thank for your time and
consideration in participating.  We are not prepared to back down until
Facebook does what *IS* right, and changes their harmful, stigmatising and
discriminatory policy. We continue the fight, because with over 150 million
active users, Facebook has the potential to make an enormous positive
contribution to the promotion and normalisation of breastfeeding.  And
because when *we* win, **BABIES THE WORLD OVER**, win !

Yours sincerely,
-Emma Kwasnica, devout Lactivist in Montréal

             ***********************************************

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