The writer's experience is shocking, misogynistic and the new practice abusive to babies - males cannot lactate in any natural meaningful way. Can this letter get wider publicity, in The Times or The Telegraph?
Thank you for telling your story Miriam. Unfortunately, it is now the story of many Leaders in many countries. I suspect that ultimately, LLLI will be the author of its own demise. Marian Tompson (who Milli has also written about), has left a magnificent legacy of empowered women and healthier societies. Fast forward 70 years and what have these cretinous trans and their handmaidens left behind?
Not a single positive thing. When your philosophy is deliberately chaotic and destructive, that's what you end up with: nothing. Escalating your commitment to a non-functioning enterprise is a losing strategy: https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/escalation-of-commitment-to-a-losing
I’m currently writing my own ‘story’ about how as is said here, a small group of zealots infiltrated an organisation and changed the language… the good news is ARM saw them off - but a lot of damage was done. Of course these really concerned TIAs have disappeared to wreak havoc elsewhere now… I may even share it on Substack one day.
There is a collective insanity inherent in all of this - I do hope Miriam will continues to offer BF support independently or in conjunction with others who are refusing to toe this increasingly intolerant & misogynistic line - the women will come to where they know they are safe
I hope eventually new support networks will be formed but...it shouldn't have had to come to this. The work was already done by people like Miriam and Marian.
Extraordinary that some of the women Leaders can be bought off with praise, power, money?, whatever it is, to openly hope for the older Leaders to die off. 😣 It's almost like some women almost
become men in their outlook - we've had to be shape shifters due to the patriarchy before this. All the more credit to those women who won't shift and who know what a woman is and how important it is for women to have the support of our sisters at all stages of our lives. Brava to Miriam and to you Milli for giving her and the other LLL women Leaders resisting this most outrageous men's rights attack on women-only spaces and services. XX
Absolutely, very good point about how women shape shift, I guess this is what people mean when they say 'handmaidens' but I prefer your way of putting it. xxx
Cheers, Milli. I see today that AOC has removed her pronouns from her bio. Her shape-shifting on Trans v. Women stung more than most. This shift is promising.
I’m deeply disappointed by the recent changes in La Leche League’s policies. As a lactation specialist and future IBCLC, I believe that breastfeeding is a unique experience for women—mothers who carry, birth, and nurture their babies with their own bodies. These spaces were created specifically to give moms a safe place where they feel understood and supported, and including men in breastfeeding support feels like a departure from that mission. It’s also disrespectful to the countless women who rely on these spaces.
It almost feels like men are now wanting to become mothers themselves, to experience mothering, with all the sacrifices and hardships it entails. Or maybe some want to experience it for fun, just to say they did. But at what cost? Babies’ lives are on the line, and they should never be guinea pigs in a social experiment.
As Marian Tompson put it: “This shift from following the norms of Nature, which is the core of mothering through breastfeeding, to indulging the fantasies of adults, is destroying our organization.” We can all identify however we want, but babies’ lives and well-being are far more important than any ideology.
The support I received from LLL during COVID-19 was rooted in the mother-baby bond. That connection meant everything to me, and it hurts to see that focus shifting away. I don’t understand what this is trying to prove, and I just hope we can preserve spaces where mothers and babies are truly prioritized and supported in the way they deserve.
To be clear, there is currently no 'departure' from policy or mission. It's the interpretation of policy and mission that is the issue. According to LLLI, the inclusion policy includes 'everyone', regardless of gender identity or sex. Up until recently, it would never have occured to anyone that this might include transwomen (biological males). This ideology has hijacked our traditionally womens only spaces, and leaders are confused by the rhetoric. If they exclude transwomen, surely that isn't kind and is in fact exclusionary? Of course, anyone with common sense knows that males do not have a right to breastfeed and everything in their biology in fact prevents them from doing it. Plus, according to UK Law, single sex spaces for women do not include males. This is where it all gets fuzzy (for some, not for me I hasten to add!) LLL trustees are working really hard to keep our charity mother focused as it was always intended and how our charitable objects dictate. It's not easy!
Anyway, just wanted to give you a broader picture of what's happening :)
Thanks Karis and Melody for your great points. For me it's about boundaries and principles. People say HAS A MAN ACTUALLY BEEN TO A LLL GROUP and I channel Germaine and say I DON'T CARE! I don't care! The point is HE IS NOT ALLOWED. Even if no man ever rocks up, I want the line to be there in the sand. It's ok for some things to be for women only. End of!
The amount of confusion about basic biology I've seen in the past couple of days on social media is shocking. All of the language stuff just compounds this. It's crazy!!
This is truly heartbreaking for mothers and babies and for those brave women trying to help them become successful breast feeders. The LLLI leadership should be thoroughly ashamed if itself. They are complicit in the destruction of the bonding between mothers and babies ,and society will pay a huge price for it in the future. Thanks ,Milli x
The writer's experience is shocking, misogynistic and the new practice abusive to babies - males cannot lactate in any natural meaningful way. Can this letter get wider publicity, in The Times or The Telegraph?
Potentially. Looking into it. x
Thank you for telling your story Miriam. Unfortunately, it is now the story of many Leaders in many countries. I suspect that ultimately, LLLI will be the author of its own demise. Marian Tompson (who Milli has also written about), has left a magnificent legacy of empowered women and healthier societies. Fast forward 70 years and what have these cretinous trans and their handmaidens left behind?
Not a single positive thing. When your philosophy is deliberately chaotic and destructive, that's what you end up with: nothing. Escalating your commitment to a non-functioning enterprise is a losing strategy: https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/escalation-of-commitment-to-a-losing
May the dominos start falling
It's a tragedy it's come to this but yes, that's necessary now.
I’m currently writing my own ‘story’ about how as is said here, a small group of zealots infiltrated an organisation and changed the language… the good news is ARM saw them off - but a lot of damage was done. Of course these really concerned TIAs have disappeared to wreak havoc elsewhere now… I may even share it on Substack one day.
I hope you do xx
There is a collective insanity inherent in all of this - I do hope Miriam will continues to offer BF support independently or in conjunction with others who are refusing to toe this increasingly intolerant & misogynistic line - the women will come to where they know they are safe
I hope eventually new support networks will be formed but...it shouldn't have had to come to this. The work was already done by people like Miriam and Marian.
Extraordinary that some of the women Leaders can be bought off with praise, power, money?, whatever it is, to openly hope for the older Leaders to die off. 😣 It's almost like some women almost
become men in their outlook - we've had to be shape shifters due to the patriarchy before this. All the more credit to those women who won't shift and who know what a woman is and how important it is for women to have the support of our sisters at all stages of our lives. Brava to Miriam and to you Milli for giving her and the other LLL women Leaders resisting this most outrageous men's rights attack on women-only spaces and services. XX
Absolutely, very good point about how women shape shift, I guess this is what people mean when they say 'handmaidens' but I prefer your way of putting it. xxx
Cheers, Milli. I see today that AOC has removed her pronouns from her bio. Her shape-shifting on Trans v. Women stung more than most. This shift is promising.
I’m deeply disappointed by the recent changes in La Leche League’s policies. As a lactation specialist and future IBCLC, I believe that breastfeeding is a unique experience for women—mothers who carry, birth, and nurture their babies with their own bodies. These spaces were created specifically to give moms a safe place where they feel understood and supported, and including men in breastfeeding support feels like a departure from that mission. It’s also disrespectful to the countless women who rely on these spaces.
It almost feels like men are now wanting to become mothers themselves, to experience mothering, with all the sacrifices and hardships it entails. Or maybe some want to experience it for fun, just to say they did. But at what cost? Babies’ lives are on the line, and they should never be guinea pigs in a social experiment.
As Marian Tompson put it: “This shift from following the norms of Nature, which is the core of mothering through breastfeeding, to indulging the fantasies of adults, is destroying our organization.” We can all identify however we want, but babies’ lives and well-being are far more important than any ideology.
The support I received from LLL during COVID-19 was rooted in the mother-baby bond. That connection meant everything to me, and it hurts to see that focus shifting away. I don’t understand what this is trying to prove, and I just hope we can preserve spaces where mothers and babies are truly prioritized and supported in the way they deserve.
To be clear, there is currently no 'departure' from policy or mission. It's the interpretation of policy and mission that is the issue. According to LLLI, the inclusion policy includes 'everyone', regardless of gender identity or sex. Up until recently, it would never have occured to anyone that this might include transwomen (biological males). This ideology has hijacked our traditionally womens only spaces, and leaders are confused by the rhetoric. If they exclude transwomen, surely that isn't kind and is in fact exclusionary? Of course, anyone with common sense knows that males do not have a right to breastfeed and everything in their biology in fact prevents them from doing it. Plus, according to UK Law, single sex spaces for women do not include males. This is where it all gets fuzzy (for some, not for me I hasten to add!) LLL trustees are working really hard to keep our charity mother focused as it was always intended and how our charitable objects dictate. It's not easy!
Anyway, just wanted to give you a broader picture of what's happening :)
Thanks Karis and Melody for your great points. For me it's about boundaries and principles. People say HAS A MAN ACTUALLY BEEN TO A LLL GROUP and I channel Germaine and say I DON'T CARE! I don't care! The point is HE IS NOT ALLOWED. Even if no man ever rocks up, I want the line to be there in the sand. It's ok for some things to be for women only. End of!
Thank you for explaining!
Student midwives being taught about chest feeding as if fact .
The amount of confusion about basic biology I've seen in the past couple of days on social media is shocking. All of the language stuff just compounds this. It's crazy!!
This is truly heartbreaking for mothers and babies and for those brave women trying to help them become successful breast feeders. The LLLI leadership should be thoroughly ashamed if itself. They are complicit in the destruction of the bonding between mothers and babies ,and society will pay a huge price for it in the future. Thanks ,Milli x