So last week the founder of La Leche League, Marian Tompson, left the company. This is pretty big news in the birth worker world because LLL is THE organization for breastfeeding knowledge, support, everything. They literally wrote the book on modern breastfeeding; The Art of Breastfeeding, 9th edition which was originally published as The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding in 1958. So the founder of the organization not just stepping down from her role but completely leaving the company is a bit wild, everyone in the birth world has had something to say about it.
Turns out, though, this is the best thing for the organization and birthwork as a whole because she's a transphobe who is whiny about the newest edition of their book being inclusive. (Previous editions were also moving towards inclusive language but the original title remained until this year).
Anyway here's her statement:
Dear Leaders of La Leche League,
I want to share some important news.
On November 6, 2024, I resigned from the LLLI Board of Directors and from LLL itself, an organization that has become a travesty of my original intent.
From an organization with the specific Mission of supporting biological women who want to give their babies the best start in life by breastfeeding them, LLL’s focus has subtly shifted to include men who, for whatever reason, want to have the experience of breastfeeding despite no careful long-term research on male lactation and how that may affect the baby.
This shift from following the norms of Nature, which is the core of mothering through breastfeeding, to indulging the fantasies of adults, is destroying our organization.
Despite my efforts these past two years as a Board member, it has become clear that there is nothing I can do to change this trajectory by staying involved.
Still, I leave the door open to come back when La Leche League returns to its original Mission and Purpose.
I thank each of you for your years of making this world a healthier and happier place by being there for all mothers needing help with breastfeeding their babies.
Founder of La Leche League"