The League of Maternal Justice

Welcome to The League of Maternal Justice, where The Boob Squad works to put a stop to injustices against the practices of mothering. We need your support for our first Mission.

Mission #1: Facebook Sucks

As you may have heard, Facebook has been deleting pictures of breastfeeding mamas, stating that they are in violation of their terms of use.

Not only was there no visible breast in the original banned picture, but Facebook allows photos that should also be banned based on their affirmation of their policy.

Could it be some pimply faced intern was uncomfortable with a tandem nursing mom but not the thousands of pictures showing more breasts than a chicken farm? And don't forget that there are over 250 pro-ana (Pro Anorexia) sites on Facebook.

But a mom feeding her child is violating the policy?

The Boob Squad is calling YOU into action.

Facebook won't even ban pedophiles [Thanks for the heads up, Christina]

Show your support for functioning breasts and deactivate your Facebook account NOW. Maybe now is the time to try out another social networking site like Cafemom, cre8buzz, Maya's Mom, The Motherhood, or Twitter.

If you can't let go of your Facebook pokes and prods, then write a post, and put a button up.

We're keeping a running ticker on our site (coming soon). Our boob squad can't do it alone. We need your help.

Are you up for the challenge? Leave us a comment with your post, and let us know if you deactivated your account. We're happy to add your number to our ticker.

SuperPowers activate October 10th at 10am - We'll be asking you to whip out your weapons of mass nourishment and feed your babies live via web cam or send us pics of you in your past or present breastfeeding glory. Bare your boobs for justice in the Great Virtual Breast Fest of 2007. Check back later this week for specific details.

Comments

[Leigh]

I deactivated my account, wrote a post and added a button to my blog. You can read the post at:

http://vangoatranch.blogspot.com
Leigh

[Melanie]

I don't have a facebook account, and I certainly wont be getting one now! I will be posting about this and I am displaying the buttons on my blog page with pride. Thanks for the heads up on the pathetic little organisation that is Facebook :0)

[Wilamena Vasquez]

This is the most ridiculous 'crusade' I have ever heard of. Enjoy motherhood but let each person decide how they want to share in that. This issue is NOT an issue. Spend time on more important causes like Bush vetoing child health care or child labor abuses in third world nations.

[Lactivista]

We don't put a priority over mothers' issues. This is our first of many missions. Child health care might be important to you, while breastfeeding freely in public might be another mother's issue. We embrace them all.

And in very cute costumes, I might add.

[Libby Christiansen]

I just deleted my facebook. The site is lame anyway, then I heard about this, and made it MORE lame!!!
I posted bulletin/journals about it at Cafe Mom and Myspace.

Breasts are for feeding your babies!Its a natural and beautiful thing.
Society is so sexualized that they have forgotten what God created our breasts for in the first place. They throw hissy fits over breastfeeding in public and expect us to feed our babies in dirty, stinky bathrooms. Its ok for Janet Jackson to pose NUDE on a magazine, but not ok to see a baby breast feed??? SERIOUSLY?????

[Rachel]

Hey! You two are awesome!
I love your work!
I am sick and tored of people walking around showing off their bellies and their butts and when we sit down to feed our children people give us dirty looks and ask us to cover up or leave!
It has got to stop!

Nursing mothers should never have to stay home or go to a restroom to nurse.
It is not practical or safe to cover a baby with a blanket.
Breastfeeding is a public health issue that involves the entire world.

cafe moms
Check out my groups!
http://www.cafemom.com/group/rightsofBreastfeedingmoms
http://www.cafemom.com/group/KTownMoms
http://www.cafemom.com/group/NotLikeAnyOtherGroup

[LawyerMama]

Y'all got a Just Post nod for this!

[LaylaBeth]

(I think I screwed up my first attempt at posting here, so here goes again!)

I posted about the virtual nurse-in on my personal website, as well as on my CafeMom page:

http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read.php?post_id=485402

I think that even in the DARK AGES breastfeeding was looked upon with higher regard than it is now. How asinine!

Great job with this website--I have it bookmarked and will check in often!

~L~ xoxo

[sister of Facebook employee]

My brother works at Facebook, and I'm a nursing mom, so I went to him right away to ask WTF?? He said Facebook doesn't have a policy against pictures of breastfeeding mothers, and that acceptability of photos is decided on the opinions of whatever Facebook employee who happens to see it decides. He says he looked into it, and as far as he can tell there have only been two complaints TOTAL from breastfeeding mothers whose photos were deleted--but that those two mothers' stories are getting a lot of press so it seems like a lot more.

I asked my brother if there was a way for Facebook to make a PRO-breastfeeding decision, and he said to try this:

http://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=7

Scroll down to the bottom where it says "Write us a message." Write a polite, professional request that Facebook consider making a policy AGAINST deleting breastfeeding photos.

[sister of Facebook employee]

Also, I'm sure your readers already know this, but I think you should emphasize to them that closing a Facebook account without telling Facebook WHY you closed it, has no effect at all. If you choose to close a Facebook account over this, TELL THEM WHY. Otherwise they're not going to see the impact of their decisions in this matter.

[ChinaDoll]

I just deactivated my account, telling them how disgusted I was at their deletion of breastfeeding photos. Great site!

[No mo' facebook]

facebook = deleted!

[The Mommy]

I blogged about it and posted the button. Facebook account will be deleted shortly.

[Amanda]

I'm a day behind, but posted a button and photo any way.

[Michael R. Ibanez]

Hey! Facebook, I think you need to review and take a chance to look upon the acceptable norms of society.In my country,Philippines we hail mothers who proud themselves by doing their mammalous devotion for their babies that gives deep bonding between mother and child. Giving attention to few people with some psychological disorder treating public breastfeeding is indecent is tantamount for being IGNORANT of babies right to grow and live. WAKE UP GUYS, IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!!!!!!!!

[Heather]

Just deleted my Facebook account and sent them a message explaining why. I think it would be really helpful to folks wanting to do this if you provide a sort of "form letter" they can copy and paste when they cancel their membership, so Facebook will know just exactly *why* we're leaving.

[Jeremy Schappert]

I don't agree with all of facebooks positions contained within there terms of use however I gotta say as 24 y/o male I am glad they take pictures of breasts off facebook (w/ or w/ out a baby feeding). I like boobs but there is no need to see them on a social networking website. Most of my friends my age find it awkward when wemon proceed to expose their breasts in public area, I realize its perfectly acceptable in many parts of the world but the last time I checked in the US breasts are socially perceived to be a sexual organ (not just as baby canteens). Breast feeding is awesome I want my wife to do it someday but i also want her to do other stuff that I don't want everyone else to see. Just because its natural, healthy, important for development etc, doesn't mean that everyone should have to see it. I find masturbation to be healthy and natural however I wouldn't condone performing publicly. As far as convenience goes is it too much to ask to place a light blanket/something over the dining facility. Feel free to blast me jeremyschappert@hotmail.com. I really don't care all that much, that’s just my position and I was bored at work so I though I would share.

[ekchnegjex]

the palms resort and casino in las vegas

[Lorane]

I'm a little late, but I too just deactivated my facebook account and wrote them a polite reason why. I am a mother of two, I breastfed my daughter for 18 months and received a lot of negative looks and comments. I am now breastfeeding my four month old son and am loving it even more! I was upset with facebook because i thought the internet was the one place one could be free! Guess not... Love the site I feel like i'm actually standing up for "mother" issues! Anyone who doesn't think this is an issue hasn't had to breastfeed their baby in a bathroom stall at wal-mart or a cold and cramped CAR!!!!
Lorane~~NJ

[facebook ruined an entire generation of potential college grads]

While I disagree, I could understand removing the breastfeeding photos IF they weren't otherwise raging hypocrites. As already stated, they have plenty of photos that violate their supposed code. It's full of drunken college whores and molesters showing off how drunk and naked they can be.

Each semester after grades are submitted, I search all of my students on facebook and myspace and add their data to my grades/social networking correlation pie chart. I never look until the semester is over because I can't look some of these kids in the eye again after I've seen them prancing around in little red riding hood outfits, drunk, being molested by frat boys, and puking out a car door once I've seen it. 50% of my students who have facebook accounts fail my class while only 10% get As. Of my students without facebook accounts, 50% get a B or better and only 15% fail. 75% of my F students have facebook accounts while only 10% of my A students have them. I never collect this data until after the grades are in, but the correlations have not changed, just the size of the data pool. More of my students get facebook accounts each semester and each semester my class average goes down.

I started collecting the data out of curiosity, but it's become a devastating trend. I'm at the point where 40% of my students don't even come to class. They just send me tragic bs stories via e-mail about how "this semester" they have all this "personal stuff going on at home" wah wah wah, but as soon as they hit send, they're on facebook posting all the photos of all the drunken whorey things they did the night before.

Now that my data set includes a full 400 students, I'm going public with my pie chart. The first lecture of the Fall semester is going to begin with 10 minutes of my pie charts just sitting up on the screen captioned "Your professors have internet access too. Lesson #1: Think about how you spend your time and how you project yourself to the world." I'm not even going to lecture or anything. I'll just sit there silently as they enter the room and then I'll take roll 10 minutes into the session.

If I had a facebook account, I'd certainly delete it for the League, but luckily, I never had one.

[Melanie]

I deactivated my facebook account and told them why. Good riddance!!

[Heather]

I have pics of myself nursing on my facebook page...even my profile photo...no problems yet.

[Jenn]

I don't have a facebook but this sounds like a great article to write about, I breastfed both of my children everywhere I went, you get to be a pro at doing things with one arm while feeding, I'll let you know when I get an article out about it. I guess facebook has something against eating, how else could they be pro ana and against nature.

[Maternal Mirth]

FYI ... MySpace does it, too. *That* and they delete nekkid baby pictures.

[Padded Nursing Bras]

I still have my account intact on facebook, however I do not use it anymore!