On Nov. 15, Sadie Durbin did something entirely ordinary: She went out to dinner with her family. Shortly after arriving at her destination — a Texas Roadhouse in Louisville, Kentucky — Durbin’s 7-week-old daughter became fussy. The good news was the seasoned mom knew what to do; her daughter was hungry. So, naturally, Durbin began feeding — breastfeeding, that is — her baby. And apparently, the Texas Roadhouse management had a problem with that. Because, according to People, the manager tried to cover Durbin… with a napkin?!
“She got hungry, so she needed to nurse,” the mom of two told People. “I latched her on like I always do, and she was nursing for maybe five minutes when I saw the manager coming around the corner, walking fast and shaking his head at me with a napkin in his hands.”
The manager then told her to cover up and tried to place the cloth over the baby’s face.
“He said, ‘Ma’am, ma’am. We’re getting a lot of complaints; we’re going to need you to cover up,’“ she recalled to People. “I said, ‘No, I’m feeding my baby, and I’m well within my rights to feed my baby. I’m not going to cover up.’ He said, ‘Yeah, yeah I know, I’ve got six kids, but we’re just really going to need you to cover up.’ At that point I was just shocked, so I said, ‘I’m not going to cover up. I’m feeding my baby.’ So he tossed the napkin down on the table and kind of huffed off.”
Durbin, who was understandably shaken by the incident, took to Facebook to share her story, and within hours, the post had over 32,000 comments and nearly 34,000 shares. However, Durbin has since changed the privacy settings on her account, as she was receiving disturbing, harassing and hateful messages.
“Men telling me that they’re going to urinate in my mouth if they see me nursing my baby. Women telling me they’re going to throw hot coffee on me if they see me nursing my baby. There’s just been a lot of hate,” Durbin told People.
That said, it is important to note that public breastfeeding is legal in the United States and has been legal in Kentucky since 2006.
As for Texas Roadhouse, Durbin said someone from the company did reach out to her via email. However, Durbin told People their response lacked an apology and/or next steps, which is what prompted her to sue in the first place.
More: 20 Photos of Women Breastfeeding in Public Without the World Exploding
“I think it’s my only recourse,” Durbin said. “There’s a law, but there’s no penalty attached to the law.” And she brings up a good point. What good are laws if they’re not enforced?
We’re on your side, Sadie — you and any parent who “dares” to feed their kid.
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