Jan 5, 2008 2:57 pm US/Central
30 Women Stage Nurse-In In Lubbock
LUBBOCK (AP) ―
About 30 mothers, some of them breast-feeding their blanket-covered infants, staged a nurse-in at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock on Friday as part of a protest of a city decision to ban two drawings from an art show.
The Lubbock Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union organized the event to try to change the public perception about breast-feeding.
Marisha Hare, mother of 13-month-old Isabella, said it almost seems taboo to nurse in public.
"People would look at you weird," she said in Saturday's Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "I would be outraged that people are so ignorant that something natural is seen as obscene."
Last month, the predominantly pencil-sketched images of a nearly fully clothed mother who is breast-feeding and a nude pregnant woman were banned from the Buddy Holly Center, a cultural facility that pays tribute to the late rock 'n' roll star and regularly displays various art forms.
The city later issued a statement of apology and invited artist Lahib Jaddo back to another exhibit.
"These women have gotten tired of being treated as second-class citizens for breast-feeding in public," said Vince Gonzales, Lubbock ACLU chapter president.
Gonzales said he hoped the nurse-in, also sponsored by Birth Without Boundaries International, would lead to change in Lubbock and other cities.
Tim and Amber Darling said breast feeding should not be seen as repulsive or offensive.
"It's every mother's natural right to do that," Tim Darling said. "What's the big deal?"
An official with the city manager's office was present at the nurse-in but said the office was declining comment about the event.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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