A 33-year-old, breastfeeding mother was at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio when her 9-month-old baby needed to feed. While breastfeeding, a staff of the museum came up to her and told her she couldn't do it there, but she refused to stop, stood her ground, and invoked her legal right to breastfeed in public.
Emily Locke was busy taking photos for the wedding of her sister, when her baby started showing signs that it's feeding time. Since she had no time to look for a possible place to breastfeed, she simply chose a spot where she could feed her baby and at the same time near her family. It was in this instance, when a staff member approached her and said, "You aren't allowed to do that here," as per Yahoo.
Locke, who knew her rights, responded coolly that she was, in fact, legally allowed to breastfeed in public. Despite Locke having invoked her right as a breastfeeding mom, the staff went on saying that the museum policy prohibits breastfeeding in public. As Locke adamantly refused, the staff went to get the manager, who told Lock that they have a private area where she could do it.
At this juncture, as People mentioned, Locke still refused to transfer to another place. The manager told her that the museum was a "family museum" and that she was only trying to protect innocent children. Locke then responded that she was engaged in a family moment and the only people around her were her two other children, so she couldn't quite understand whom the manager is "protecting."
Disappointed by the museum conversation, which shamed women who were breastfeeding in public, Locke took to Facebook and expressed her sentiments about the whole thing. Many users sympathized with her, and her post has already gained 31,000 likes and has been shared for more than 10,000 times.
Kelly Falcone-Hall, president and CEO of Historical Society, immediately issued a statement and asked for an apology from Locke. She said that they will give additional training to the staff of the museum so that they will be more aware of the rights of mothers who are breastfeeding in public even if it will be done inside the museum.
