Gender row blamed for Facebook breastfeeding page lockout

“Breastfeeding parent” activists who want to use the term “chest-feeding” blamed for lockout which booted peak breastfeeding organisation from its own social media page.

The nation’s peak breastfeeding organisation has been locked out of its own social media page – with its name suddenly changing to the woke “Breastfeeding Parents Australia”.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) was removed as an administrator from its private Facebook group – previously known as Breastfeeding ABA — last week.

Gender activists are being blamed for the coup.

Earlier this year the association was mired in controversy over a push to get rid of the word “mother” and introduce the term “chest-feeding”, with some counsellors being sacked over the issue.

Now the association is seeking “immediate remediation” after being locked out, and losing its 11,000 Facebook members.

Mother of three Jasmine Sussex, who lost her role as a volunteer counsellor after using the word “mother” too frequently. Picture: Supplied

Mother Jasmine Sussex, who was expelled as a voting member in May amid an investigation into seven women accused of bullying because they refused to stop saying mother and use the term “chest-feeding”, points the finger at “breastfeeding parent” activists.

“It’s incredible zealot-like behaviour,” she said.

The renamed Facebook group "Breastfeeding Parents Australia", which was previously run by the Australian Breastfeeding Association.

“They reset the passwords and evicted ABA staff from the page.

“The majority of the moderators are those who campaigned for my sacking.

“They’ve also changed its name to Breastfeeding Parents Australia – which was their ‘inclusion’ objective all along.”

Ms Sussex lost her role as a volunteer counsellor over using the word “mother” too many times in social media posts.

An official letter from association president Margaret Grove on November 24 stated that the Facebook lockout occurred when the board informed moderators it planned to close the Facebook group due to “sector-wide sustainability challenges impacting ABA post-Covid”.

“While the Board was in the meeting with some of the BWABA moderators on Wednesday evening, ABA (as an organisation) was removed as an administrator of the group without authorisation,” she said.

“Control of this asset was reassigned and renamed to ‘Breastfeeding Parents Australia’.”

Breastfeeding with ABA was set up during the pandemic for information only as mums couldn’t attend face-to-face groups.

The association was asked if they had reached out to Facebook to get their page back.

In response, Ms Grove said she was unable to comment on the actions while they took steps to “regain the asset”.

She said it had been planned to close the group in late December.

“Without authorisation ABA was removed as an administrator from the private Facebook Group, Breastfeeding with ABA, and the group was renamed and rebranded,” she said.

“While we are taking steps to regain this asset, we are unable to comment on these actions.”

Last year the association was hit with drama when a whistleblower came forward to say counsellors had raised concerns they were not equipped or comfortable offering support to men or transgender women “because the service was designed to support a birth mother through breastfeeding”.

“We are experts in mother-to-mother breastfeeding we have no skills in assisting in affirming men in their experimental attempts to breastfeed,” the whistleblower told media.

Originally published as Gender row blamed for Facebook breastfeeding page lockout