A conference aimed at consultants in breastfeeding has been criticised for hosting a man who specialises in helping men lactate for ‘curiosity, fun, or sexual gratification’.
US-based Jacob Engelsman will lecture on ‘lactation support for gender diverse families’ at the Galway conference being held in October by the Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI).
Catherine Monaghan, an Irish women’s rights activist and founding member of Wicklow Women 4 Women, said: ‘Surely ALCI can provide inclusive and compassionate lactation support to women, regardless of how they identify, without surrendering sex-based boundaries or accepting the proposition that male lactation is equivalent to the normal female process of breastfeeding?
‘Women are entitled to boundaries, and babies are entitled to have their welfare prioritised.
‘Is it too much to ask that women and babies remain at the centre of a profession established to support them?’
She noted that the ALCI receives annual grant funding from the HSE.
She said: ‘Engelsman’s interest and expertise is not limited to lactation for the purpose of feeding an infant. One of his previous presentations was “Inducing Lactation for Kinksters”.
‘Ireland’s breastfeeding rates are persistently low compared with many European countries,’ observed Ms Monaghan in an online report. ‘Shouldn’t public funding be concentrated first on improving practical breastfeeding support for women and tackling social and healthcare barriers that cause women to stop breastfeeding when they would prefer to continue?
‘Any amount of money spent on supporting male lactation is money foolishly spent.’
She said Mr Engelsman worked in the food sector before qualifying as a lactation consultant five years ago, and now describes himself as an infant care specialist, speaker and writer.
US-based lactation consultant Jacob Englesman is booked to speak at the ALCI conference
He wrote the recently published book, Lactation For The Rest of Us: A Guide for Queer And Trans Parents And Helpers, and specialises in inducing lactation in parents who haven’t given birth, and in inducing lactation in men with medication.
‘This is a book and approach that prioritises adults’ desires (mostly male desires) over babies’ health and well-being,’ said Ms Monaghan.
‘According to his CV, he has been giving various talks including on lactation at 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.’
Ms Monaghan acknowledged the ALCI had a duty to ensure its members are equipped to deal with all kinds of women in all kinds of situations. She said: ‘And so it is reasonable that their conference and other professional development resources would touch on the issue of women who identify as trans or non-binary and who may have had surgeries that impact their ability to breastfeed.’
She stated: ‘Men cannot breastfeed babies. It is not normal or healthy for a male to lactate; in fact, it usually signifies a serious medical issue like a pituitary gland tumour, thyroid problems, or liver or kidney disease.’
Ms Monaghan said Mr Engelsman had included two case studies in his own book of trans-identified men who had tried to induce lactation.
The Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland’s announcement online of Mr Engelsman’s participation in its October conference in Galway
‘One had very little success producing anything more than drops of liquid despite his best efforts,’ she said. ‘The other apparently produced significant amounts of liquid but his wife [the baby’s mother], who was initially on board with “co-nursing”, found she couldn’t bear it when the baby came along. She herself was nursing successfully.
‘…It reads like a profoundly distressing experience for the baby’s mother. Eventually the baby refused to latch with him, even when he attempted it “in a dark room when she was sleeping”.’
The Mail asked both Mr Engelsman and the ALCI for their response to Ms Monaghan’s criticism, but had not received any reply last night.
The ALCI states on its website that its October annual conference will feature ‘two inspiring days of learning, networking, and professional development’.
It says: ‘We have an exciting programme featuring national and international speakers, a dedicated exhibition area, poster presentations, and plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow professionals.’ It adds it is ‘not responsible for the contents or reliability of the speakers and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed by them’. It says: ‘Listing shall not be taken as endorsement of any kind.
