Dude, I'm breastfeeding and I'm cool with there being places babies aren't allowed to be.
Whether or not you & I agree on what those places should be is open to debate, but then, I don't agree with all my local friends who are subject to the exact same laws I am on that, either.
Where I am, any public or private place where mother and child are legally permitted, breastfeeding must also be permitted. There are places from which children are legally barred, and therefore even nursing babies cannot go there. These places include some, but not all, bars -- if the bar gets a certain amount of its revenue from food, it must ban smoking and allow children, but if it is under that amount it can allow smoking and ban children. Other places simply opt to discourage children, but do not/are not legally allowed to bar them. As long as these are places that do not qualify as "public accommodation", I do not much care, although it decreases the likelihood of me going to them. I suppose one of the open questions is that, with something like a con, is a "no babies" policy legally enforceable under local law, or is it merely a discouragement?
which might mean that VVC cannot legally bar breastfeeding children, though I don't see any reason it could not discourage them/make rules about what to do if the child is disruptive.
(I am in PA, and as I mentioned, the law says both mother AND child must be authorized to be in the location, which means that cons in PA can probably have no-child policies that include breastfeeding infants. Anthrocon attendees are perhaps breathing a sigh of relief.)
no subject
Whether or not you & I agree on what those places should be is open to debate, but then, I don't agree with all my local friends who are subject to the exact same laws I am on that, either.
Where I am, any public or private place where mother and child are legally permitted, breastfeeding must also be permitted. There are places from which children are legally barred, and therefore even nursing babies cannot go there. These places include some, but not all, bars -- if the bar gets a certain amount of its revenue from food, it must ban smoking and allow children, but if it is under that amount it can allow smoking and ban children. Other places simply opt to discourage children, but do not/are not legally allowed to bar them. As long as these are places that do not qualify as "public accommodation", I do not much care, although it decreases the likelihood of me going to them. I suppose one of the open questions is that, with something like a con, is a "no babies" policy legally enforceable under local law, or is it merely a discouragement?
In the specific case of VVC, Illinois law appears to only cover the authorization of the *mother* to be there: http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/BreastfeedingLaws/tabid/14389/Default.aspx#i
which might mean that VVC cannot legally bar breastfeeding children, though I don't see any reason it could not discourage them/make rules about what to do if the child is disruptive.
(I am in PA, and as I mentioned, the law says both mother AND child must be authorized to be in the location, which means that cons in PA can probably have no-child policies that include breastfeeding infants. Anthrocon attendees are perhaps breathing a sigh of relief.)