by Asher Moses
September 7, 2007 - 2:00PM

Thousands of Facebook members are on the warpath after the social networking site removed images of breastfeeding mums and banned others for posting "obscene content".

They call themselves "lactivists" and say Facebook's practices are discriminatory.

Facebook's hardline stance on what its members can publish on their profiles is somewhat hypocritical given that it was caught running an image of a topless model in a banner ad for a dating service.

The mothers, many from Australia, started a petition in the form of a Facebook group called "Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!". The group now has almost 7000 members.

"Absolutely it is discriminatory and it makes me angry," said group member Pru Wirth, a mother of two from the central coast in NSW.

"If actual venues can be fined up to $40,000 for asking breastfeeding mums to cover up or move on, then why not a virtual public place?"

Another group member, Sally Millwood, from Petrie in Queensland, said: "I know from first hand experience breastfeeding can be a tough road to go down and, if you have success at the end of it, it's an amazingly proud and important achievement to be shared."

Facebook spokeswoman Meredith Chin said Facebook - which has more than 200,000 Australian members and 31 million users worldwide - did not prevent mothers from uploading photos of themselves breastfeeding their babies, but it did remove content that was reported as violating Facebook's terms of use.

"Photos containing an exposed breast do violate our Terms and are removed," she said.

It's not clear what constitutes an "exposed breast", which has the lactivists baffled.

Facebook did not respond to emails requesting further clarification but several group members have reported that their images were removed despite the fact they contained no nipple.

"Where does the feeding stop and the boob begin?? A peek of nipple?," one lactivist wrote.

Wirth, who is yet to have one of her own images removed, rejected Facebook's justification, saying there was a "real difference" between a user uploading their own images of their own body and Facebook themselves violating their own terms of use for profit.

"Regarding the case of the inappropriate banner ad that was posted, we have since removed the ad as it was a violation of our Terms of Use," said Chin.
In addition to removing particular photos from the site, Facebook has permanently revoked the membership of some of the mothers.

When one, Karen Speed, appealed and asked to have her account reinstated, Facebook said its decision was "final".

"We will not be able to reactivate your account for any reason," read Facebook's reply, published by Speed on her blog.

Wirth said it was important Facebook reconsidered its policy because it was restricting users from "sharing a normal part of our lives and our babies' lives".
She said Facebook had adequate privacy settings that allowed users to restrict access to their images.

"I can't see how sharing photos of your baby feeding with friends and family, or anyone really, could be deemed obscene," she said.

"If breastfeeding was done publicly more often it would just be the normal done thing, not something women should feel ashamed about, and it certainly wouldn't receive this kind of offensive reaction."

A Godly Commitment to Bible Based Sexuality

FREEHOLD, IOWA - Church authorities were prompted to make a public statement against breastfeeding last Tuesday when it was found that a number of church ladies had been breastfeeding their children well into adulthood. "Little Randy is nearly 15-years old now," said church mother, Ida Jenkins. "I still breastfeed the boy because I read in some secular magazine somewhere that the nutritional benefits of breastfeeding never really end." It was found that Mrs. Jenkins was nourishing young Randy 'round the clock by draining her teat into sippy cup and packing it in his Veggie Tales lunchbox. "The youngster was sharing it with other students," said Landover Baptist Junior High School Principal, Gil Higglesworth. "I got suspicious after taking a sip of it myself."

"What needs to happen here, is to just do away with breastfeeding altogether," said Pastor Deacon Fred. "Poor young Christian boys are being weaned into oral gratification from infancy and the whole thing just stinks like the devil's hiney. "Our Baptist community comes from the school of thought that when a young boy starts to get hair under his arms that is the sign from God that he is becoming a man and it is time to stop nursing." Pastor Deacon Fred explained that those days are long past, and the time has come to end breastfeeding altogether.

Landover Baptist Creation Scientists then revealed the shocking results of a 4-year study that links breastfeeding to early sexual activity among youngsters. "We found that many young people who engage in breastfeeding, even if they stop at the age of 2 - oftentimes partake in what secular humanists call, 'third-base sexual activity' before marriage," said Dr. Jonathan Edwards. "Our study also concludes that breastfeeding leads to sloppy kissing, drooling, teat fetishes, and cattle buggery." Creation Scientists also expressed concern that the hardened nipples of a Christian woman who is breastfeeding indicate a sinful state of sexual arousal.

Landover lady, Sister Taffy testified at 'The Fight To Stop Breastfeeding' fundraising kickoff party. "I had Ezmirelda, my daughter Rebecca Grace's wet nurse, wean her off the teat when she was old enough to walk to the fridge and pour herself a glass of milk," she said. "Personally, the thought of anything attaching itself to my body and sucking the Holy Ghost life force out of me is revolting. The first thought that comes to mind are those old colored women with their boobies hanging down to their knees. They don't get those big sacks from eating all that watermelon. No, its from having 6-8 of their children leached onto them until they are in their mid-twenties! Glory!"

"In a world where toy manufacturers are slapping vaginas on Barbie Dolls and convenience store owners think nothing of selling toy testicles and candy suckers in the shape of male sex organs to young children, a Christian's response must be to put on the full armor of God!" stated Pastor Deacon Fred.

"In these last days, the Devil will take many forms. Us True Christians® are the only people who can see Satan in just about everything, and it's our job to expose him, even if it makes us look ridiculous to the unsaved public. It's just a shame that now have to take something as innocent as nursing a young child and call it a sin. But Satan doesn't give us a choice, folks. We are at war with unseen forces and principalities of darkness who will stop at nothing until they drag every single person on the face of this planet straight down to Hell. With this in mind, won't you please join us in our fight to end breastfeeding? Your checkbooks are like little tiny daggers you can throw into the devil's backside. Praise!

Maybe if people crapped in public more often it would just be the normal done thing. But I hope not.

Farting,

Peeing,

fingernail clipping

Sorry, I just think that there are some things that should be done with discretion and not in the public square where everyone is watching.

Such images are charming, not disgusting, and damn sure not obscene.

Typical of American tit-obsessed society. Fear the tit!

..you're a....you're a PRUDE, aren't'cha?

heh

Are you the kind of person who doesn't shudder at the site of 300lb european men in thong swim suits?

I'm just sayin.

I must be desensitised to that having swam in the Baltic.

But I am all for public lactation having done so with both of mine and they seem no worse for wear.

Now if I could only wean my spouses...

Sorry, I just think that there are some things that are better done discretely in private.

We all have our hard limitations Lumpy my boy. My stop at scat and water sports, cutting, piercing the flesh with needles or lacing the flesh and tattoos. *shrugs* Lactation in public? Come on.

Okay, so we progressive types are in agreement that the exposure of mammi is wonderful and good. What I don't get is why anybody would want to upload pictures of breastfeeding, then make it a crusade. What's the big deal? I guess pictures of breastfeeding is a final frontier in the fight for respectability for mothers or something.

Anse, deacon phred is satire dear.

Yeah, I'm fully aware of that. I was really responding to Horus. And, despite the satirical nature of the post, I do know that public breastfeeding has been an issue in the past.

Yes it is. I lived in NYS when dukakis was Govenor of Mass. and wanted to ban public breastfeeding for similar reasons to Phred's posts. I was nursing my last at the time and participated in Lact-ins.

While deacon phred is satire, Facebook did actually go and remove images and ban members for images that violated their TOS, including many women who had put up images of themselves breastfeeding.

And while I am a great fan of the female breast, I think whining because Facebook enforced their rules doesn't help the matter. If it says no nudity in the rules and you violate that rule then you should accept the consequences.

I honestly didn't know that was a real case Spike. I agree TOS trump. Its up to the suscriber to do their due diligence. I know many things dissappear on Slate for that very reason.