NEWS

Kentucky Kingdom: breast feeding is 'up to mom'

Taylor Harrison
The Courier-Journal

After a social media outcry following a woman's claim she was asked to breast feed privately at Kentucky Kingdom, the theme park has said it will allow women to feed their babies publicly in any manner they see fit.

The statement Friday from Kentucky Kingdom chief executive Ed Hart, reverses the park's previously stated policy requiring mothers to "use discretion."

Hart's statement says "we will leave it up to mom to make that determination and in no way will our staff interfere with mom's decision."

The Facebook post by the woman stirred up a firestorm on social media critical of the theme park. Her Facebook page is private.

Renee Michelle Villatoro, 27, said when she was asked to go to a designated area in a restroom to breastfeed her seven-week old son, she had to stop feeding altogether because she couldn't leave her other children alone while they were on a ride.

"I didn't even say anything to the girl, I just stopped breastfeeding," she said. "I didn't even know I had any rights."

She didn't want to make a big deal about the incident because she wasn't angry at the young employee who asked her to go somewhere else.

Afterward, she called her mother, who told her the direction from the employee wasn't legal.

Kentucky statute 211.755 says, "No person shall interfere with a mother breastfeeding her child in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be." The statute has been effective since 2006.

"I've never felt ashamed (about breastfeeding) ... and they really made me feel like I did something wrong," Villatoro said.

Kentucky Kingdom policy had required mothers to "use discretion" when breast feeding. But Kentucky Kingdom spokesman John Mulcahy said that while he couldn't confirm the incident, an employee apparently made the wrong decision by asking Villatoro to feed her son in the rest room.

"Kentucky Kingdom is unequivocally supportive of breastfeeding and has always been," he said.

Villatoro said Hart called her on Friday and apologized. While she had previously sought a refund, she declined Hart's offer to return her money partly because her daughter enjoys the park.

Shannon Stone, owner of Mama's Hip, a parenting community that offers groups, classes and activities, said the incident came up on Mama's Hip's Facebook page as well.

Stone said the moms on the Facebook page had planned to organize a nurse-in at Kentucky Kingdom to raise awareness, but she isn't sure if they still will now that the park has issued a statement, which she said was a good, reasonable response.

"Parenting is a real challenge on a good day and completely overwhelming on a bad day," she said.

She said breastfeeding has become an issue because breasts have been sexualized. "Really it's just a woman feeding her baby."

Reporter Taylor Harrison can be reached at 582-4589. Follow her on Twitter at @Taylorharrison5.