A Victorian breastfeeding expert is facing legal action over a series of social media posts denying that transgender women can breastfeed.
Jasmine Sussex is being taken to Queensland’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal by a trans mother after labelling attempts by transwomen to breastfeed their children “experimental’’ and calling it a “dangerous fetish”.
Ms Sussex raised concerns about Queensland trans mother(sic) Jennifer Buckley – who was born male but later transitioned into a woman – taking hormones to grow breasts and induce lactation to breastfeed her newborn baby.
The Victorian woman is preparing to be called before the Tribunal after Ms Buckley alleged that she had vilified her online, calling her statements “hurtful”.
But Ms Sussex, who was sacked by the Australian Breastfeeding Association in 2021 after 15 years as a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor because she refused to use gender-neutral language, told the Saturday Herald Sun she “will not be silenced”.
“Breastfeeding belongs exclusively to mothers and our babies,” she said.
“We are the only humans who can make breast milk to nourish our babies.”
Ms Buckley caused a social media storm when she(sic) shared her breastfeeding online.
The backlash included comments from Ms Sussex, who labelled the practice cruel and unethical.
In November last year, Ms Sussex received an email from the Queensland Human Rights Commission to advise her they were investigating a complaint from Ms Buckley alleging vilification.
“The complaint attempts to scrub from the public record my mainstream concerns and criticisms about male breastfeeding,” Ms Sussex said.
Source: Legal action for labelling trans breastfeeding ‘dangerous fetish’