Well if it isn't father patriarchy ruling his ugly head. Angela Ames is fresh out of options after the US Supreme Court declined to hear her petition to get a lower court's ruling overturned (the Iowa mom was trying to sue her employer for gender discrimination after she was fired for breastfeeding).
SF Gate reports:
Ames was nursing her new baby and wanted to continue by pumping and storing breast milk at work. Before her first day back, she asked a Nationwide disability case manager where she could express milk and was told a lactation room was available. But when she showed up at work on her first day she found out she couldn't use the lactation room because she hadn't filled out required paperwork for access, according to court documents. Ames was never told about the paperwork before her day back at work.
A company nurse directed Ames to a wellness room for sick employees, but the space was occupied. She returned to her desk where her direct supervisor approached her and informed her that none of her work had been completed while she was away. He warned her that she needed to work overtime to complete everything in two weeks or else she'd face disciplinary action.
Ames was then handed a piece of paper to craft a resignation letter so she could "go home and be with" her children, even though all homegirl was trying to do was pump a little of that white for her new baby.
I'm not Alicia Florrick or anything but it sounds like a slam dunk suit, right? Apparently not. Ames' case was thrown out by a trial court which, according to Raw Story cited "that breastfeeding-related firings aren't sexist because men can lactate, too."
From Raw Story:
The district court's decision — which the Eight Circuit Court did not overturn — said that Nationwide's treatment of Ames could not have been sexist because under certain circumstances, some men can lactate, too.
Total times I've seen a dude casually lactate: 0
Total times I've seen a woman breastfeed or leave the scene to go breastfeed: 200k+
Image via Shutterstock