A woman says she was covered up with a dishrag while breastfeeding at an Alabama pizzeria. Katy Bullard says an owner of the Phenix City restaurant told her to "please cover herself up" when she was breastfeeding in public.
Bullard told BuzzFeed she was out to eat with her husband and 3-month-old daughter at Giovanna's Pizzeria. Bullard says she was breastfeeding for about 20 minutes when she was approached by the co-owner.
Bullard also says the co-owner told her "she was a Christian and that we were offending her beliefs by me breastfeeding."
Bullard says they decided to leave, but that the co-owner left and returned with a dishrag that she put over the baby's head.
In a statement to BuzzFeed via her attorney, the co-owner, Mrs. Rodriguez, claims that Bullard was “openly breastfeeding her child” and that customers felt uncomfortable.
The co-owner's statement reads in full:
“Ms. Katy Bullard was at our restaurant on June, 20, 2018, eating dinner. I had two customers come up to me as they were checking out who told me that Ms. Bullard was openly breastfeeding her child in the restaurant and it was making them very uncomfortable. This is when I first noticed that she had her breast out in plain view and was feeding her baby. I then walked over to Ms. Bullard and asked her if she would please cover herself up so that it would not be uncomfortable to other patrons. She fumbled into her diaper bag. I thought she was getting out a blanket or rag to cover herself. However, she did not; she sat back up and continued to feed the baby and began to argue with me. I then went over to the counter and got a new dish towel, one that had never been used and placed it over her shoulder so that it would cover up her breast. She then became very irate and told me that I put a nasty dishrag on her baby’s head. This was not the case. She and her husband began to pack up to leave the restaurant. I told her that she did not have to leave but that I did want her to cover herself up because it was bothering other patrons.
I am sorry that I offended Ms. Bullard. That was not my intent. I thought I was doing her a favor by giving her something to cover up with. I am not against breastfeeding a baby in public. However, I do believe that it needs to be done discreetly.”
The co-owner’s statement says Bullard had her “breast out in full view,” but Bullard contests this, saying she was using the "two-shirt method" to cover her breast.
Bullard added, "This has never happened before. This is the only time. I feel that anyone should be able to feed their baby anywhere and at anytime."
