PHOTO PAGE 11 HEY, FACEBOOK, BREASTFEEDING IS NOT OBSCENE! These pages are dedicated to breastfeeding women everywhere. They provide what is needed in the start of life. Breastfeeding is a very important act in nurturing children, and often a highlight in the life and memory of women, as the photos below suggest. GO TO PAGE 6 (the first page of these photos) GO TO PAGE 7 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 9 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 10 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 12 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 13 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 14 (more photos) Here we present the fifth page of photos banned from the social utility Facebook, as well as a few that haven't been. With several hundred million users, Facebook still removes from its pages photographs of women breastfeeding, despite complaints about that practice beginning as long ago as June 2007. Facebook claimed that breastfeeding photos violated its terms of service if they showed "an entire breast." Eventually it dropped the vagueness and the euphemism and claimed that all photos with a visible nipple or areola were "obscene," "pornographic," or "sexually explicit." This claim by Facebook is at odds with legislation, case law, and actual practice throughout the USA. In addition, breastfeeding itself is allowed in public, exposed breasts or not, in almost all states in the country. By its attitude and action, Facebook is wrong. It demeans and stigmatizes women and breastfeeding. In May 2009, the same Facebook spokesperson responsible for the above claims said that Facebook removes only a small number of photos of naked women breastfeeding. That would be funny if it weren't so ignorant. Facebook also claims that images of breasts harm children. That's absurd. Facebook wrongly uses children as an excuse for its immaturity and errors. Facebook is undoubtedly a great utility, both useful and fun. Its worldwide acceptance on the Internet confers upon it a responsibility to do better. The protest against Facebook's removal of many breastfeeding photos isn't really about legality. It's not even about rights. It's about what is right. Number of photos in this collection: 234. Of those, 218 have been banned, some more than once. The others are here for comparison. (Many, many more have been banned than we have collected.) Comments from the photos' owners are often illuminating.

Our NON-DISCLAIMER re photos Many sites would carry a warning: Keep away if you're under 18! NSFW! We don't believe in that. Women's breasts in photos like these bother no one except those who have unfortunately been trained to be embarrassed by them or to control them when they have no right to. Anyone wanting to send a banned photo or a series from which one or more were banned, please send: -- Your photo(s), at Facebook profile size or bigger; -- Your name (and whether you want that indicated); -- Your best contact e-mail address (will not be indicated); -- The date (month/year will do) when the photo was banned (if it was); -- Accompanying comments: whatever you want to say. Links are possible to your e-mail address and/or your breastfeeding-related site if you wish. Unlike on Facebook, the photos remain your property. We will not use them for any other purpose whatever. They will be deleted on request of the owner or provider. We post most of the photos at the same height. We acknowledge that some appeared on Facebook bigger, and a few smaller. The effect a photo has depends on size, among other things. Also, we cannot guarantee how things like colour or contrast appear, because they depend on individual monitors. Photographs on this site are not to be reproduced in any location or in any medium or format without the prior consent of the owner of the photograph, except as permitted by law. Neither TERA nor its proprietors, members, or site host assumes any responsibility for what is posted, with which they may or may not agree. Comments may be edited for clarity or legal reasons. Photo from Wendy Jolliffe Banned December 30, 2009 More photos from Wendy Jolliffe (see above). These two were taken in 2004 and banned in 2007. The first (above left) was banned in July 2007. The second (above right), an award-winning photo, was in a calendar of La Leche League a few years after it was taken. It was banned afterwards, on August 26, 2007. Photos from Sheila Neumann The four photos were uploaded together. They were banned on January 23 and 27, 2010. Photo from Kim Smith Banned January 31, 2010 "This is my fourth photo banned from Facebook within the past twelve months. I recieved notice my account was being 'reviewed for permanent removal.'" Photo from Tennille Smith Banned February 6, 2010 Photo from Helen Schwalme Banned February 5, 2010 Both banned February 9, 2010: more from Sheila Neumann (see the others four photos higher). "The one (on the left) of me nursing my newborn and my 18-month-old kissing me is framed on the wall in my home and has been up since it was taken (eight years ago). It was a very special time in my life. My wish is that when they have their children, my girls will be able to go whereever they want and nurse in any way they feel comfortable, any time, any place." Photo from Shannon Johnson Banned February 9, 2010 "I am just sad that this banning is going on. So many women have a hard time breastfeeding and feeling comfortable doing so in public. The pictures I have seen have inspired me, and I am so thankful for the many women who nurse without hesitation! I was a scared mama three years ago, I was a prisoner of my own home b/c my daughter wouldn't nurse covered up . . . therefore I would never leave my house b/c I didn't want people to stare or give me dirty looks. After having friends that were free breastfeeding in public and gaining a little confidence, I now nurse in public. I posted my picture as a "look how far I've come." I want to inspire other women who are nervous! Photo from Charlotte Thomas Banned February 10, 2010. We're not joking when we call Facebook's censorship immature, capricious, ignorant, and nonsensical. Facebook is also deleting entire accounts of some breastfeeding leaders and of people who write in to question its policies or actions. Photos from Belinda Davies. You wouldn't know which of these six wasn't banned by Facebook, because it deletes photos arbitrarily. The first four were banned on February 11, 2010, and the last (bottom right, above) on February 12. Nothing happened to the photo to its left until February 19, when it joined the others in Facebook's "unsafe for children" category and was banned. Two photos from Nakai Rupp banned February 13 and 15, 2010 Photo from Holly Aik Banned February 14 and 17, 2010 Photos from Amber Gray. Banned (all three) February 14, 2010 Photo from Nakai Rupp Banned February 15, 2010 Photo from Ana June Banned February 14, 16, and 17, 2010 "I posted this ages ago on Flickr, and it's been making the rounds ever since. It was on a poster used by the World Health Organization in Turkey, a book in Italy, a billboard in Ireland, and posters in Great Britain." Photo from Shari Leigh Veal Banned February 14, 2010 "My Super Bowl nursing photo. I'm absolutely appalled that someone can be so offended by a simple act of nurturing that they'd attempt to smudge it out of existence. So here's to you, whoever you are . . . The picture is back up for the world to see." Photo from Renee Gawlak-Ghenciu Banned February 16, 2010 "This picture was taken poolside while on vacation. It is my favourite. It is framed in my home. I think it is incredibly sad that we live in a society where this picture is deemed sexual in nature. Show me a society that disrespects its children and elderly, and I will show you a society that is headed for its demise." Photo from Denise Finzer Banned February 17, 2010 These three photos from Joelynn Nickel were banned (from left to right) on February 14 and 16, 2010, and November 22, 2008. "The first pic is of me breastfeeding my daughter, who was 32 months at the time, on the toilet while in active labor with my son. The second pic is of me breastfeeding my son, who was 14 months at the time, in his Ergo while walking around Disneyland's California Adventure. The third is from my homebirth in 2008." [Note from TERA: it doesn't take much to connect the third photo to breastfeeding.] Photo from Jennifer Clary Lemon Banned February 5, 2010 Photo from Deb Reeves Banned February 19, 2010   GO TO PAGE 6 (the first page of these photos) GO TO PAGE 7 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 9 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 10 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 12 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 13 (more photos) GO TO PAGE 14 (more photos)