|
Breast-feeding protest at Lexington Applebee's goes national |
|
|
|
Written by Linda B. Blackford, Lexington Herald-Leader
|
|
Wednesday, 05 September 2007 |
|
 Brooke Ryan was hoping for a decent crowd on Saturday when she and other breast-feeding mothers gather at the Nicholasville Road Applebee's to protest the restaurant's policy on breast-feeding.
But Ryan was not expecting quite so much support -- simultaneous demonstrations are now planned at as many as 60 Applebee's restaurants in at least 30 different states.
Plans got started shortly after news about Brooke Ryan hit the Internet last week. Ryan went public after the manager of the Applebee's asked her to cover herself with a blanket while she breastfed her 7-month-old son in a booth in the back of the restaurant in June. According to officials, this request was in violation of a 2006 state law that prohibits any interference with a woman breast-feeding in public.
Applebee's responded by saying it would keep blankets so breast-feeding mothers can cover themselves.
The story quickly zinged across parenting Web sites and nursing list-serves. Diane Targovnik of Phoenix, Ariz., heard about the controversy on Mothering.com, and quickly organized a demonstration at her local Applebee's.
"Those of us who do breastfeed stick together," Targovnik said. "When this came up, we were all ready."
The nation-wide plans speak not only to the passion of breast-feeding mothers, but to the power and reach of the Internet. A Yahoo group set up solely for the organization of the Applebee's protests seven days ago has 1,285 members and thousands of messages.
 "A lot of women are very passionate about what they're doing for their babies and want to make sure people know it's not okay to tell women they can't do that," said Cerise Bouchard, owner of Mother Nurture.
Thomas & King, which owns the Applebee's restaurants in Lexington, issued a statement Wednesday:
"Thomas & King is proud that, every day, dozens of mothers breastfeed their children in our restaurants. We are known for providing a safe and hospitable environment for all families. Our policies regarding breastfeeding are consistent with the laws of the states in which we operate.
"While we believe our actions are consistent with creating a pleasant dining experience for all of our guests, we always welcome opportunities to learn and are treating this situation as such an opportunity."
|
Join the National Applebee's Nurse-In
12:00 - 1:00 pm Sep. 8, 2007
In the hopes of getting an apology from Applebee's and a promise to train its employees in breastfeeding rights, Brooke Ryan has organized a nurse-in locally for September 8, 2007. Activists have rallied to join her at 20 sites in 13 states so far. To see if a nurse-in is planned near you or to register your own site, join the Yahoo group set up to coordinate the events.
Find an Applebee's near you:
http://www.applebees.com/StoreFinder.aspx?s=menu
You might also send a message to Applebee's Featured Chef, Tyler Florence:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
