Posted on 10/09/2009 6:46:08 AM PDT by Huck
Yesterday, Emily Gillette filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont, setting the stage for a legal battle, according to the Burlington Free Press.
Three years ago, Gillette, her husband, Brad, and their then 22-month-old daughter, River, were ordered to leave a plane at Vermont's Burlington International Airport. It was a New York-bound Delta Connections flight operated by Freedom Airlines.
Gillette was nursing River when a flight attendant asked her to cover up. Gillette refused. The flight attendant asked again, offering a blanket. The then 27-year-old mother continued to refuse. The flight attendant "pointed to the exit and demanded: 'Just get off the plane,'" the court documents read.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
This woman was either a)golddigging for a lawsuit b) a diva bitch with no sense of courtesy or c) on some sort of weird trip about breastfeeding in public.
Some people say it should be no big deal breastfeeding in public because it's natural. Yeah? Well so is taking a piss. So is having sex. So is washing my undercarriage. Want me to do that in public? What's the big deal, just cover up for cripe's sake. I feel sorry for companies having to put up with this BS all the time.
I don't have kids, but isn't 2 yrs old a little late for breast feeding anyway? This woman makes me ill. I'll bet her kid turns out to be a real brat--just like her mother.
In most States breastfeeding is a legally protected activity. That’s the difference.
“River”? “Vermont”? “Breast Feeding at TWO”? MOOOOOOOOONBATS!
Three years ago and she’s just getting around to suing. Yeah she was really damaged!
I was a breastfeeding mom and felt strongly about it. I would give my child a bottle anywhere so I should be able to breastfeed anywhere.
That said, I would never just whip it out—a blanket or specially designed clothing worked fine. Modesty for me, respect for those around me.
Legally protected exposure as well?
You can breastfeed without being an exhibitionist. You can breast feed so that the casual observer doesn’t even realize that’s what you are doing. This woman is disgusting.
Well, she is probably a world class diva. But the world abounds in those and the attendant was needlessly making an issue of it.
Most people just avert their eyes if this is disturbing. And I would not put one of those horrid airplane blankets over a baby. When I nursed I used a thin diaper or scarf to cover but if this diva chooses not to, nobody should have made an issue of it.
We are grown ups even if she isn’t.
Leaving the legal wranglings to others, I think breastfeeding should be accommodated generally and performed discreetly.
She was covered.
Yeah, I looked it up. Yer right. Here’s Vermont’s law:
This act states that the general assembly finds that breastfeeding a child is an important, basic and natural act of nurture that should be encouraged in the interest of enhancing maternal, child and family health, and amends the discrimination laws to provide that a mother may breastfeed her child in any place of public accommodation in which the mother and child would otherwise have a legal right to be.
Oh well. I’m wrong.
I read the article. She had covered herself with her blouse and was not exposed.
However she named her child River which would make me a biased juror. Sheought to be sued for that.
You know really freaks out the boobie flippers?
Stop and watch....lick your lips.....they will cover up real quick...
My wife hates it when I do it...but it ALLWAYS works...
I once asked a woman sitting with her man in the middle of the food court at the mall....”since you got one out..can I see the other?”
Even her man laughed...but if looks could kill, she would have struck us both down.......boy I bet he was in trouble when he got home...
*snicker*
Its not illegal to have sex either, but the seat of an airplane is a bad choice of locations.
If its inappropriate for a non-lactating breast to be hung out in public, so too is it inappropriate for a lactating breast to be hung out.
Covering up is quite simple and in no way hinders nursing.
As these cases always seem to involve a nursing toddler (or older), I chock it up to crazy women on power trips.
I think your “c” answer fits, considering the age of the child.
Ok. Now picture three 18” wide seats in a packed aircraft. Now picture a petite woman wrestling with a 22-MO OLD KID into a breast feeding position.
Why do I think this inconsiderate bitch was tossed off an aircraft because her seatmate didn’t want this little girl’s feet in his face rather than face the prospect of looking at one of two B cup breasts?
I looked it up. Apparantly, in Vermont you can just whip it out. Nothing in the law about covering. So I was wrong about the case. Still, I don’t see the big deal in covering up. You say she was covered. She says she was pointed in the other direction. I just think the lawsuit is stupid, but what the hell. Looks like she’ll cash in. College tuition for the kid.
Yer bad!
In the article... it appears that she was covering up with a t-shirt and chose a window seat to be discreet.
The flight attendant chose to draw attention to the mother... and then threw a fit when she didn’t get compliance.
Agreed...this was probably a stunt to produce a lawsuit. What’s a 2 year old kid doing still on the tit anyway? That’s a bit odd if you ask me.
Well, she said she was sitting in a window seat and had her blouse pulled down.
If the flight personal had not made it an issue no one would have known.
As far as whipping “it” out....”it” is a breast. Ok to use the word.
Why?
You have no idea. There are women, and I've unfortunately seen them, that just let there breasts hang out. We had a woman in the neighborhood who did this (nursing a four year old). The kid would run over, pull her shirt up to her neck, suck for 20 seconds and then run off. The woman would continue, shirt up the entire time at the park running an open bar.
Peeing is natural, but I'm going out on a limb here and assuming that you would have an issue with a man that just whips it out at the park and starts peeing, and would not feel that you should have to accept it and just avert your eyes.
Mom of 5 here, breasted each of them (and NOT until anywhere close to the age of 2), and I would never EVER breastfeed in public so that perfect strangers would consider it a problem. Yes, if baby had to eat, I’d nurse wherever we were but NEVER up in someone’s face to scream, “I’M BREASTFEEDING! I’M BREASTFEEDING!”
Honestly, this woman is a NUT. Here she is suing 3 years after the fact because she can’t flash her boob in public, but I’ll bet you she’s the first one to be offended if someone was to wear a skirt that was too short or a shirt that showed too much cleavage.
From the article:
The incident got national attention—especially in November 2006 when a group of 25 moms showed up at the Burlington Airport, openly breast-feeding their babies and holding up signs reading “Best in-flight meal ever” and “Breasts—Not just for selling cars anymore.” Similar protests were held at airports in Boston; Las Vegas; Columbus, Ohio; Nashville; Harrisburg, Pa.; Hartford, Conn.; Albuquerque; and Louisville, according to USA Today.
Sounds like breast-feeding activism. She’s the Rosa Parks of lactation.
It is ok to use the word breast. Why is two to old?
Like going to the bathroom and having sex. This issue of waving the boobs around is just a power trip.
I don’t have any problem with the word breast, or funbag, or mammary, or whatever you want. “Whip it out” is a figure of speech. Whip the breast out just doesn’t have the same zing.
But in this case, a verdict cannot be rendered due to insufficient evidence.
Since 9-11 they're on a power trip that's not to be believed. Quite a number of them believe that they're some kind of pseudo-cop with a beverage cart.
"Everything behind the cockpit belongs to ME and I demand 100% compliance with all my orders." That was her attitude AND the attitude of nearly all of her co-workers I met.
Now this will no doubt be sorted out in the Courts but to tell you the truth I won't be sorry to see a Stewardess, pardon me, "flight attendant" get slapped down a peg or two.
L
Well, the real problem with the attendant was that, apparantly, the law is not on her side. In the article, it cites breastfeeding demonstrations at the airport, so they probably should have known better. We weren’t there, so we don’t know the demeanor of the attendant, or the mom. She asked twice, perhaps nicely. Offered a blanket. That all seems reasonable to me, even though, as I say, the law apparantly makes no requirements about modesty. Apparantly she could take her shirt off if she wanted, judging from the statute.
In most States breastfeeding is a legally protected activity. That’s the difference.”
Is there not an expectation of some level of modesty on the part of the breastfeeding mother?
I agree that breastfeeding is ‘natural’, but I certainly don’t expect to pay for an airline seat and have a boob hanging out in the aisle seat.
She was politely asked to cover up her chest and she refused.
I hope the judge throws this out and gives her a tonguelashing at the same time.
You may be right. I haven’t flown in years. It looks like in Vermont, there’s nothing that says she has to cover up. She might have been able to take her shirt off, judging from the statute. They held demonstrations about breastfeeding at airports. I personally think this was a setup. The airline needed to know the law, and their attendants needed a clear policy on it. Looks like the bitch mom is gonna win. I understand your bias against stewardesses. This is probably a case of bitch vs bitch.
“That said, . . .Modesty for me, respect for those around me.”
Your grace and consideration is truly rare and deeply appreciated.
Just to muddy the mix. FEDERAL law requires passengers OBEY crew member instructions. Airline flights are interstate trade. FEDERAL law likely has jurisdiction.
IMHO.
I posted the Vermont statute. There’s nothing in it about modesty or covering up. It appears she could take her shirt off, judging from the statute. This IS Vermont we’re talking about.
Interesting.
“Stop and watch....lick your lips.....they will cover up real quick...
My wife hates it when I do it...but it ALLWAYS works...
I once asked a woman sitting with her man in the middle of the food court at the mall....”since you got one out..can I see the other?”
Wow. If someone said that to my wife, I definitely would not have laughed.
I love your approach. I just wish more people had the nerve to do something like that.
Legally protected, maybe. But, in this instance, it seems like a reasonable request for the mother to observe some degree of propriety and decorum in the confined space in which this took place. Just seems to be common sense...
But, common sense is in pretty short supply these days.
“What’s a 2 year old kid...”
If they are old enough to ask for it... They are too old to have it...
Probably. People say men never back down but I swear after a combined 20 years of marriage it's women who have by FAR the biggenst propensity for taking a percieved slight way over the edge.
It is hard to know whom to root for in this one but given my personal experience with 'flight attendants' I'm forced to go with the Plaintiff here.
L
Whata Bitch!! ANd isn’t 22 MONTHS pretty OLD to be nursed??
Nope. Not gonna go there.
There is no way to determine the outcome of this lawsuit, its appropriateness, or the guilt or innocence of the parties WITHOUT PICS!
he he he
lol. Well, despite my gut reaction, it looks like she’s got the law on her side, and knew it. I think she was trolling for a lawsuit and succeeded. All’s fair, as they say. The airline will pay for it. They’ll train their people on it and move on.
Went to link.
Guilty.
Gillette told USA Today that she wasn’t exposing herself. “She purposely sat in a window seat and she was holding down her shirt while nursing.
For moms flying with children and babies, breast-feeding is common. It helps soothe and quiet a child and equalizes little ears.”
So, for all those who claim she “whipped it out” or was purposefully exposing herself, read the article again. She WAS covered. It WAS the flight attendant who made an issue out of her breastfeeding her kid.
hehehehe
I bet your fun to watch. Like sticking an M80 in an ant mound! :)
LOL.
In my experience common sense is one of the rarer things in the Universe.
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