A mother has told of her frustration after being banned from Facebook for sharing a photo of a female nipple in a private breastfeeding group.
Kerryn Gill-Rich, a mother-of-four from Brisbane, Queensland, has been an administrator of the group Breastfeeders Australia for five years and posted what she believed was a run-of-the-mill article about nipple blanching.
But soon after sharing the article, Kerryn was astonished to find Facebook had barred her from using the site for a week because of the ‘nudity’ she had published.
Kerryn Gill-Rich (pictured), a mother-of-four from Brisbane, Queensland, has been an administrator of the group Breastfeeders Australia for five years and posted what she believed was a run-of-the-mill article about nipple blanching.
Kerryn says she was banned from Facebook after sharing a nipple article on the site
Kerryn says she was reprimanded by Facebook for sharing the link twice – but is concerned the site will give her a permanent ban.
She claimed she has attempted to appeal with Facebook about the situation to no avail.
Many of the 30,000 women who partake in the group’s strong breastfeeding discussions have since spoken out in disgust over the social media site’s decision to ban Kerryn.
Group founder Lauren Threadgate told Daily Mail Australia one woman even says Kerryn saved her life after providing her with emotional support in the middle of the night.
‘She doesn’t just know about breastfeeding, but knows how to talk in a way that people understand, and to listen to them in a way that makes them feel heard,’ she said.
‘Her experience breastfeeding four kids makes her a valuable contributor and source of information but her experience in her work and outside of breastfeeding also mean she is a wonderfully empathetic person with really refined communication skills.’
The article in question (pictured) violated Facebook’s community standards because it is of a woman’s nipple
Kerryn has attempted to appeal with Facebook staff about their ‘double standards’ – but believes she has been negotiating with a robot (screenshot pictured)
The group provides instantaneous support 24/7 to other breastfeeding mums and is a passionate matter for all women involved – including Kerryn.
When a Daily Mail Australia reporter attempted to share the article too, Facebook immediately removed it, citing it as ‘spam’.
The article itself contains medical information about what happens when blood flow to a woman’s nipple is cut off or limited immediately following breastfeeding, known as nipple blanching.
Kerryn’s mission to normalise breastfeeding on Facebook has also been supported by thousands of others on petition website change.org.
‘She has been banned from Facebook for sharing a link containing a picture of a blanched nipple (what happens when the tip of a nipple turns white through loss of circulation when feeding),’ the petition reads.
Many of the 30,000 women who partake in the group’s strong breastfeeding discussions have since spoken out in disgust over the social media site’s decision to ban Kerryn
‘We want Facebook to lift their ban and reconsider their double standards when it comes to what is appropriate and for Facebook to support breastfeeding.’
Supporters of the petition have responded with anger over Kerryn’s banned and have called on the site to review what it considers to be a violation.
‘Facebook is absolutely ridiculous. It’s appalling that people are being banned for things like this, yet I’ve reported a photo of an intentionally mutilated newborn three times that keeps appearing on my news feed and it “doesn’t violate community standards”. Wake up Facebook,’ one woman wrote.