Another public breastfeeding kerfuffle, nicely covered over at The Lactivist.

The dispute with Applebee’s began June 14. [Brooke] Ryan chose a booth in the back of the restaurant away from other customers. When her baby, Michael, got hungry, she began to nurse him discreetly, she said.

But a waitress came over and said that if she wanted to breast-feed, she had to cover the baby with a blanket. Ryan said it was so hot that she didn’t have a blanket. The waitress then repeated her request. Ryan said she then asked to see the manager and handed him a copy of the 2006 Kentucky law that prohibits interference with a woman breast-feeding her baby in public.

The manager said he knew about the law but a customer had complained about indecent exposure, so she had to cover the baby with a blanket.

Kentucky’s breastfeeding law, which, as we’ve noted before, like other state laws, merely reiterates a woman’s already established right to breastfeed in public anywhere in the US, states:

Breastfeeding a child or expressing breastmilk as part of breastfeeding shall not be considered an act of public indecency and shall not be considered indecent exposure, sexual conduct, lewd touching, or obscenity.

And:

No person shall interfere with a mother breastfeeding her child in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be.

Which means the waitress and manager effectively broke the law.

Ms. Ryan and her lawyer sent a letter to Thomas and King, the company that operates the Applebee’s in question. No response at first, but their second letter got a reply, in which the company noted that they were considering keeping blankets in the restaurant so that breastfeeding women could cover themselves.

Seriously.

There’s been a campaign afoot to contact Applebee’s proper. Their apparent canned response:

“[The] corporate response to the breastfeeding in Lexington, Kentucky is that Applebee’s and its franchisees love having families dine together at our restaurants. We believe that this franchisee made a reasonable and lawful request of this guest in order to promote a pleasant and comfortable experience for all of its guests.”

The BWB Lactivist Yahoo group is organizing nurse-ins at Applebee’s on September 8, 12-1:00. Can’t say I blame them. Check their site for more information.

Posted by MommaSteph.