I just wanted to post a quick follow-up to yesterday's piece about the New Mexico woman who was asked to leave a Freedom/Delta Airlines flight because she had the nerve to nurse her toddler on board. Although Emily Gillette (the mother in question) has filed charges against the airlines through the Vermont Human Rights Commission, the locals didn't feel that that was quite enough.
Oh, how I would've loved to be a fly on the wall at the Burlington International Airport today, when thirty-some parents and their assembled children held a nurse-in in front of the Delta Airlines counter.
At the airport today, mothers, fathers and grandmothers showed their support for Gillette and breast-feeding. One woman wore a sign that read "BREASTFEEDING" and her son wore a sign that read "BREASTFED."
"I was horrified that a mother could be humiliated like that," said Caroline Beer, 34, of Burlington.
The parents praised Burlington International Airport for allowing the demonstration and for being accommodating.
Yes, congratulations to the airport for doing the smart thing and not drawing any more lousy press.
I don't think it had really dawned on me until I read this article that this happened in Vermont. I thought everyone wore Birkenstocks and ate tofu together in the state that still has more sheep than people. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding.) And it's likely that the airline crew wasn't Vermont-based, but still. This happened in Vermont. The mind truly does boggle.
[picture courtesy of Burlington Free Press]
BlogHer Contributing Editor Mir also blogs at Woulda Coulda Shoulda and Want Not.
Comments
YES to NURSE INS
By: Erin Kotecki Vest Posted: 1 year 26 weeks agoI'll be staging my own at LAX and ATL and CRW starting in about 5 hours. I'm flying Delta and I've already fired off a million emails telling them I'm coming.
Join me, won't you? (with the emails, not the trip...although I'd love to have you all at my inlaws...can you bring the vodka?)
Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain
Nurse ins and emails are the way to go
By: SeoulCat Posted: 1 year 26 weeks agoJust chiming in to say that even if anyone decides to boycott Delta, I hope they will write a letter or email to Delta executives to let them know why. Believe me, if they receive enough negative feedback about this they *will* change their attitude and get some retraining for the flight attendants.
That this happened at all is ridiculous. Thanks for pulling together the effort, Erin.
i agree!
By: Pilgrimheart Posted: 1 year 26 weeks agoFeedback to Delta Executives on the way! And..aren't we all just WEARY of this sort of treatment.
i mean really, come on now. What if she would have just taken the blanket..nothing says she had to use it..but she gave an honest reply. NO thank you. Hope this is the entire story that we are reading and hearing about..
Tricia~
Go Nurse Ins!
By: A Elliot Posted: 1 year 26 weeks agoWhat a great idea. I'm glad to hear the aiport was supportive. I agree that letters and emails also need to be written. Or maybe if Delta insists on having that policy, one of their execs should be forced to sit next to the screaming child for the whole flight. In all seriousness, they're going to loose a lot of business if they don't make some apologies and change their policies.
A. Elliot
New wrinkle
By: The Journal Blogger Posted: 1 year 26 weeks agoDid you see in this morning's business news that US Airways (in an apparent bid to become the Microsoft of the airline industry) has made a bid to purchase Delta, price tag of something like $8 billion?
Assuming the deal goes through, I wonder what that will do (if anything) to this particularly stupid, anti-woman policy?
Cheers!
Dawn
The Journal Blog - where business and politics meet the mind of a wise-ass
US Airways buying Delta
By: Liz Rizzo Posted: 1 year 26 weeks agoI wondered if all this bad publicity for Delta will get US Airways a better price. Not really good to have this going down while you're trying to sell, I'd imagine.
Liz Rizzo
Everyday Goddess
SexySmart Blog
Nursing in Upstate NY
By: mama2bna Posted: 1 year 26 weeks agoI am 6 months into breastfeeding my second daughter in 2 years. I forget people liki that exist. You see more breast on a Fear Factor preview than you do from a nursing mom. What a world. Yeah to the nurse ins...I'm doing my part with a 'nurse-about-town' attitude.
Salud!
Amanda
breast feeding in public
By: mcewen Posted: 1 year 23 weeks agoI think it's a uniquely Western perspective. If we saw more of it, it would become 'the new norm'. best wishes
McEwen Whitterer on Autism
http://whitterer-autism.blogspot.com
e-mail; m.mcewen-asker@att.net