Firefighter gets in trouble after his wife's breastfeeding his uniform photo goes viral

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

A photographer Tara Ruby released a series of photos dedicated to working moms who breastfeed, unfortunately, the husband of one of the women featured has received backlash at work. The New Mexico firefighter may be put on unpaid leave because his wife was wearing his uniform while breastfeeding.

A spokesman for the Lac Cruces Fire Department said the issue was a personal matter hence would not comment on the matter, but he said that the city does not have a specific policy regarding breastfeeding. He also confirmed the fire department’s “policy on uniforms does not specifically mention spouses, nor is it clear whether or not spouses may wear the uniforms,”, so it’s unclear what the actual issue with the photo is.

Ruby said:

"There's no difference than, say, somebody dressing up in a clown suit and doing it,". "It's the exact same thing. It's just that there's a story behind this photo and that it's a powerful one, and maybe one that not everybody's ready to hear."

Ruby said she feels like the controversy is taking a step back in the fight to normalize breastfeeding. Adding:

"We are pushing the boundary between a male-dominated role and where we're bringing femininity into that position," Ruby said. "And if we want to be a firefighter or a police officer or even active duty military, we can do that and we still have the rights as a mom to breastfeed our child."

 

 

Source: KUTWN