Ms Reem Alsalam, is the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women and girls – and it’s her job to monitor, document, and report on said human rights violations around the world. Unlike some of the flakier personnel operating in the UN, she seems like a sensible woman.
Yesterday, she was speaking to Ciara Kelly on Newstalk, as controversy continues around the invitation extended by Association of Lactation Consultants of Ireland (ALCI) to a speaker – who had previously presented on ‘Inducing Lactation for Kinksters’ – to address their taxpayer-funded conference planned for Galway in October.
Critics point not only to Jacob Engelsman’s presentation on “Inducing Lactation for Kinksters, but his participation in Frolicon, “an adult lifestyle and fetish convention held annually in Atlanta, Georgia with substantial programming around kink, BDSM, sexuality, polyamory, LGBTQ+ relationships and alternative sexual/family cultures.”
In addition, Engelsman’s book, Lactation for the Rest of Us, states (page 152): “As to the question of why they would want to, it seems reasonable to believe that cis men want to lactate for the same reasons as anyone else. Which is to say, usually to feed and bond with their baby and to a lesser extent for curiosity, fun, or sexual gratification”.
While the ALCI has now ‘paused’ bookings for the conference, the row hasn’t gone away. Women are incensed by the platforming of the idea of male lactation and what that means for breastfeeding – noting that the ALCI now refer to ‘human milk’ rather than breast milk, and observing that lactation – feeding babies – should not be connected to “sexual gratification” in anyway.
The UN Special Rapporteur did not address Mr Engelsman or the ALCI line-up, but she pulled no punched when addressing the broader issues saying that “there is no state obligation to normalise a fetish”, while questioning public spend on upholding a dangerous delusion.
“Only females can breastfeed,” said Ms Alsalam. And breastfeeding is essential for a healthy development of a child, but also for establishing the relationship between the mother and the child.”
“The milk that mothers produce cannot be produced … by anyone else. So there is no thing called male breastfeeding,” she added.
“We have to look at what purpose that would serve. Certainly, it would not be in the interest of the child,” she continued. “In fact, would be a violation of the child’s rights.”
“Under international law, a child has the right to the highest standards of health. The best interest of the child has to guide all actions governing the treatment of the child. So, so I really don’t see why we even have to spend time, money, resources, nourishing an illusion and a dangerous one, if I may say, because it goes against the health of the child,” she added.
A DANGEROUS ILLUSION
As input from experts go, you couldn’t really get any clearer or more unambiguous than that. The Newstalk host then asked the UN expert to elaborate: “Why do you say a dangerous illusion?”
Ms Alsalem answered: “Because men cannot breastfeed. They do not produce the liquid that has the essential, nourishing material that females, whether it’s a wet nurse, whether it’s a mother, produce. This is just facts. It’s what science says. And it’s really concerning that something as basic and as factual as that has become controversial.”
She then pointed to the grim reality of what happens when medical professionals speak this basic truth which has been an established fact since we lived in caves.
“And in fact, you know, midwives or health experts who try to remind us of this very basic fact, cannot say that anymore in safety, in dignity. They get hounded, they get threatened. And, uh, and this is really inexplicable and problematic.”
Then she got to another key point: that Ireland has one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the world. As I previously wrote, the decline in breastfeeding in Ireland was driven by a push towards formula (partly prompted by a belief that this made women more free) within the health system which happened in the time my own mother was having children. She was a trained nurse, and opinionated and strong-minded enough to tell the supposed experts to take a hike. As she pointed out at the time, and as Ms Alsalem is saying now, the facts shouldn’t be controversial.
Ms Alsalem said that “rather than nourishing an illusion and spending time and money on it, I would rather like to see policies that support breastfeeding, and that support an increase in breastfeeding.”
Can that be framed and copies sent to the ALCI and to the HSE and to the Minister for Health please?
Asked about the Jacob Englesman statement that some “men want to breastfeed out of a desire to feed babies, perhaps, or curiosity, or for fun, or for sexual gratification,” and the statement from the conference organizers that “the reason he was invited was to do with diversity and inclusion”, the UN expert was equally forthright.
Ms Alsalem said “Well, I’m glad he was honest and blunt about the real intentions as he has been” – adding “I don’t recall that states have an obligation to prioritize fetishes and sexual desires, be they male or female, especially if it goes against the well-being of children.”
“How is this a diversity issue?” she continued. “I fail to see that. Once again, females are the only ones that breastfeed. This is not an attack on diversity of families or makeup of families. But it is calling a spade a spade and being clear about what males can do and what females can do, and what is in the interest of the child. That has to be really our guiding north in any action.”
Scrap my original idea: Frame her comments in their entirety and hang them in every HSE office and in the Dáil until the woke capture ends and sanity is restored.
WOKE BEING KEPT ALIVE BY YOUR TAXES
Today, Peadar Tóibín of Aontú said that the scheduling of the speaker for the ALCI conference should trigger an immediate HSE review under the Children First legislation, given the remarks made around male lactation and sexual gratification.
And Independent TD for Offaly, Carol Nolan, has called for accountability saying “whoever organised this disturbing event and thought it appropriate to try to use public funds to promote and hold such an event should be sacked”.
Women’s Space Ireland aren’t letting Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll McNeill, off the hook: “We need an investigation Minister, into what substances those who call themselves LGBTQ+ have been taking before, during and after pregnancy and whether this poses health risks to the developing baby, and if any men have been aided to lactate?” they said.
The Natural Women’s Council is calling on the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, and Minister for Children, Norma Foley TD, to urgently investigate the circumstances surrounding the conference, saying “this is not simply a disagreement about a conference speaker. It raises fundamental questions about safeguarding, professional governance and the use of taxpayers’ money.”
Rights group, The Countess say that the Irish media must “facilitate a discussion about men involving babies in their lactation fetish” and called on RTÉ’s Liveline to “host the discussion”, which is admittedly very unlikely. It’s not like RTÉ are the taxpayer-funded broadcaster or anything.
“’Any man who would associate infant feeding with sexual gratification should raise a red flag. Anyone who centres adult desires above infant wellbeing should raise a red flag. Anyone who ignores concerns in favour of ideology should raise a red flag,” the group said. Most people, in my opinion, would agree.
On Highland Radio, in discussing the controversy, teacher Joe Kelly accused the government of bringing a war to parents’ doors in relation to DEI issues – and the contention that “a man can breastfeed”.
The furore is a reminder, however, that not is woke not dead – it’s being kept alive by your taxes. The next SPHE book update will probably tell our kids that ‘chestfeeding’ with ‘human milk’ is best for baby.
The only thing that will stop this madness is voting the crazies – and the funding they happily disperse – out. But in the meantime, the words of Reem Alsalem, UN expert, should be relayed to the Minister and to the Cabinet: “states have an obligation to prioritize fetishes and sexual desires, be they male or female, especially if it goes against the well-being of children.”