Victorian woman facing Queensland Tribunal for labelling trans breastfeeding ‘experimental’ and a ‘dangerous fetish’

A Victorian breastfeeding expert says she “will not be silenced” as she faces legal action over a series of social media posts denying trans women can breastfeed.

Victorian breastfeeding expert and advocate has been the subject of an investigation by the Queensland Human Rights Commission. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

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 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.”

In 2019, Ms Buckley shared online that her endocrinologist had asked her whether she also wanted to breastfeed while her wife was 28-weeks pregnant.

Queensland trans mother Jennifer Buckley (right) has launched legal action against Ms Sussex. Picture: X

Ms Buckley said she had begun transitioning but was able to conceive using IVF, meaning she is the biological father.

She began taking hormones to stimulate milk production as her wife prepared to give birth because she wanted to breastfeed as well.

“For the past 6 weeks I have been taking a drug called domperidone to increase prolactin in an attempt to be able to produce breast milk so that I can have the experience of breastfeeding,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

The drug domperidone is traditionally an anti-nausea medication.

Trans women are also being supported to breastfeed their children at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne.

Ms Buckley caused a social media storm when she shared her breastfeeding online.

The backlash included comments from Ms Sussex, who labelled the practice cruel and unethical.

“This is Buckley’s delusional queer theory take on his experience “breastfeeding”, she wrote online.

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.

The Royal Women’s Hospital helps trans women breastfeed their newborns as part of its breastfeeding program. Picture: David Crosling

“I entirely reject the claim that my measured criticism of male breastfeeding incites hatred, serious contempt or severe ridicule towards him and other transwomen.”

The research about transwomen breastfeeding appears to be contested.

Several studies have found trans women are capable of producing breast milk but that it may not be sufficient for exclusive nursing.

Ms Buckley, who described herself as a “loving mother of a beautiful little boy”, told the Saturday Herald Sun her wife had encouraged her to try breastfeeding following advice from her endocrinologist.

She said she was told it was “no different to inducing lactation in non-pregnant mothers or those mothers who are not producing enough milk”.

“Over the past 3 years Jasmine has made repeated public statements about me and my family that are harmful, hurtful, and false,” she said.

Despite a series of complaints to multiple Queensland authorities – one of which resulted in Ms Sussex’s posts being stripped from the internet – Ms Buckley denied trying to silence Ms Sussex.