Fuzzibunz

Boycott Nestle

Monday, January 3, 2011

Bring back the Leaky B@@b!

Breastfeeding did not come easily to me but I was lucky to have the support of my husband, my mom and dad, a handful of fabulous lactation consultants, oh and about 5,000 "Leakies" on a facebook page called The Leaky B@@b.  I'm not sure how I found TLB, but boy am I glad that I did!
Nursing my little Monkey...
Tell me, is this hateful, threatening, or obscene?
When posting on TLB, I felt safe.  I could ask questions about nipple pain without embarrassment or proclaim "BREAST IS BEST!" without offending anyone.  It wasn't long before I felt like a part of the Leaky family.  We cared about and supported one another without judgement.
On new year's eve, I posted for a friend who was suffering from chronic clogged ducts and within a few minutes, a handful of Leakies had responded with encouragement and helpful suggestions for relief.  My friend was amazed, and I felt proud to introduce her to my virtual family.
Approximately 24 hours later, The Leaky B@@b was removed from facebook with the following explanation:
"Your Page "The Leaky B@@b" has been removed for violating our Terms of Use. A Facebook Page is a distinct presence used solely for business or promotional purposes. Among other things, Pages that are hateful, threatening, or obscene are not allowed. We also take down Pages that attack an individual or group, or that are set up by an unauthorized individual. If your Page was removed for any of the above reasons, it will not be reinstated. Continued misuse of Facebook's features could result in the permanent loss of your account."

Huh?  Apparently my caring, non-judgemental, supportive family was considered by some to be "hateful, threatening, or obscene."  It's so absurd, I can't even wrap my head around it. Too many breastfeeding mothers have encountered ignorance and discrimination or have been made to hide under blankets or in bathrooms to feed their babies (despite laws protecting their right to breastfeed in public).  That was out in the real world, and now it's happening on facebook as well.
Shame on you, facebook, for violating your own Terms of Use by "attacking an individual or group."
Please, do the right thing and Bring back the Leaky B@@b!

2 comments: