My wife brought to my attention a story making the rounds on the boards at Mothering.com.  A lady and 8 of her kids were at Applebee’s in Lexington, KY, June 14.  She had her 7-month-old with her, and he needed a snack.  Being a breastfeeder, she began nursing, and her waitress told her that her manager had indicated she needed to cover up (she had requested a corner booth so she would be in a quieter and less public part of the restaurant.)  Because it was June, she had nothing to cover up with, so the manager came over and continued the harassment.  She presented him a copy of Kentucky breastfeeding laws, showing that legally she was under no obligation to cover up, and what she was doing was completely protected by law.  He eventually intimidated her into going out to her van to nurse her child.

She got a lawyer to draw up a letter to that Applebee’s location, which was ignored.  A month later, she had another sent to that company that manages that Applebee’s location.  The management company responded: “we regret that Ms. Ryan left without being served and would like the opportunity to personally invite her to return” …. “we are also considering keeping blankets in the restaurants for use by breast-feeding mothers that may not have them readily available as a result of this incident.”  Talk about not getting it.  We’re sorry we discriminated against you, now please come back to our store so we can discriminate against you again.

Anyway, she is gaining increasing media attention and is having a nurse-out at that location (and throughout the country, additional protests are being planned at other Applebee’s locations.)  The management company spokesperson apparently commented that she must have a hidden agenda since she carries a copy of breastfeeding law with her.  Applebee’s corporate responded to her that the manager acted in a “lawful” manner.  The company is apparently not interested in even finding out what the law on the subject is in the localities they serve.

Read more about it here! 

Media attention here  (be sure to read the comments, most are supportive of the baby’s right to nourisment but some of from idiots)