Communication on new building - room available for 'chest feeding'

[Sizzlysausage]

I got an email today about our new building (I work at a university). This explained space had been put aside in the new building for 'breast and chest feeding.' I find this so ridiculous I just need somewhere to vent (don't dare do so to any of my colleagues)!

On a completely unrelated topic, increasingly these days, I think what a wise old bird George Orwell was. He got the big things right, and crucially, more than most, he understood the importance of language. Newspeak is a brilliant concept.

And the answer is always yes of course, people can use whatever words they want.

Apart from the fact that's not actually true in practice, the purpose of language is communication so advocating Humpty Dumptyism is foolish.
In case that's a new term for anyone reading:

idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Humpty+Dumptyism

Thank you for kind messages. I do wonder whether men with testicular cancer are getting this kind of bs from mental health professionals and being asked what their gender identity is over and over again now they have one or less balls. The unacceptable answer seems to be to not have a gender identity. You have to choose one. Its like insisting an atheist choose a god even if they keep telling you they are an atheist. Why are people like this? Work's Employee Assistance Program pushed the 'you can do it, you can identify out of cancer' line with me but in the end I could only embrace the identity of being cancer-free (I explained that I had never visualised having cancer as a child or hoped I might have it at some stage) so when I said ok my gender identity is cancer-free they wanted me to pick a new name and so I said my name is Cancerfree to cement that my identity is all about not dying while my child is young. Work wouldn't let me have that name for my new identity because it was 'offensive' to people with cancer. What people like me? People being told they can identify out of it. Don't know what they are teaching counsellors and psychotherapists these days but they don't seem mentally well or stable in themselves. I had to print off emails to show my oncologist so she could understand/believe what I was telling her was true. She was pretty aghast. Macmillan have now changed their advice to highlight that identifying out of your bioligcal sex won't reduce your risk of cancer if it is related to your biological sex because it broke me speaking to them about this and getting their helpline t oacknowledge it wasn't within my grasp or ability t omagic the cancer away with just the power of my own words.

@worriedrn you have been treated disgracefully. You are and always be a woman, your name is your name, you don’t need a new name or a new identity.

I am so sorry you had to go through this. .

@worriedrn you should go public with this when you are feeling stronger. I think you would get a lot of support nowaday. The vast majority of normal people have seen this BS for what it is now. I am incensed on your behalf. I really hope you are feeling well and getting better. I notice all the dickhead dadusernames have fucked off. I hope they feel shame for their bullying and appropriating of women's biological experiences, particularly yours, but I doubt it. These people have mothers, sisters, daughters in some case. Wtaf is wrong with them.

Re the use of 'baby feeding room' this could include men with formula bottles. I mostly wanted dedicated breastfeeding spaces to be women-only - I did breastfeed in public, and that was fine, but it was my choice when and where to do it. As for expressing milk with a pump, I did plenty of that but I really don't think I'd have done it in front of men.

I'm not anti-trans. I'm anti-stupidity, and pro-women. Are you?

Judging by that poster's work on several threads, it would seem not.

very valid point. When I was new to breast feeding the first time I did not want to be doing that in public and the third one had reflux and kept pulling off leaving me exposed mid feed. Second one I could feed anywhere. Only women understand these nuances. Not to mention women from other cultures where they might not feel comfortable getting their 'chest' out in the cafe. But the 99.9% of women represented in these categories don't seem to matter as much as the fraction of a fraction of a percentage of trans identifying women who might be triggered about the term breast-feeding, while simultaneaouly trying to feed their baby with one. Surely if you were that delicate you's stay at home to do it.

I remember, before the world went mad, when I had my first baby who is now a teen that big John Lewis' had large baby changing and feeding areas eg the one in Bluewater shopping centre. The main open bit had seating, toilets and baby chnaging that were unisex and you'd regulary see men and women in there with their babies feeding and changing them. There was also a sectioned off bit at the back with comfy seating, toilets, changing areas and individual cubicles which had signs explicitly staing women only. Any woman that wanted to feed or express privately or without men went in there. IKEA had similar. How the hell did we lose all common sense and respect for women and mothers?

@Dadjoke2 didn't come back then to apologise for accusing a woman whose husband has breast cancer of being 'gloaty' about the diagnosis then?

Colour me surprised.