When a man in a cafe took offence to one of his co-diners breastfeeding her child, the cafe owner of Cheese and Biscuits in Queensland Australia took a stern line with him.
When the “middle-aged gentleman” advised her that there was a mother breastfeeding her child who should perhaps be told to cover up.
Jessica-Anne Allen explained to him that she would not be doing that as they are a breastfeeding-friendly cafe.
“We have mothers’ groups and ladies who come and breastfeed all the time and we would never ask a mother to cover up when she is feeding her child,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“We also told him there were plenty of seats inside, away from the woman and her friends, if he wanted and he seemed fine, and as far as I was concerned that was the end of it.”
Shortly after she brought him his coffee and noticed that the breastfeeding mother looked upset.
“When I put his coffee down, he mentioned that he said something to her and that the next time I should probably ask her to cover up,” Ms Allen said.
The 29-year-old cafe owner was shocked at his behaviour and concerned that the new mother (who preferred to remain annoymous) “would feel embarrassed or shamed by the experience”.
She immediately put her male customer’s coffee in a takeaway cup and asked him to leave.
After posting the story to the cafe Facebook page, Allen was amazed at the outpouring of support:
“We didn’t do anything great; we just did what was morally right.”
“We don’t have children, so we were really shocked by how common it was that people were being asked to cover up while breastfeeding,” she said.
Queensland’s Minister for Women, Shannon Fentiman, also weighed in on the incident saying:
“No Mum should be made to feel uncomfortable for doing the most natural thing in the world,” Ms Fentiman said.
“I think most people would agree with this, but it is important to challenge discrimination if it occurs and make sure people understand that mothers have a legal right to breastfeed wherever they like.”
