Breastfeeding dad denied group leadership

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WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A transgendered Canadian man who breastfeeds his baby said he finds the distinction between fatherhood and motherhood to be arbitrary.

Trevor MacDonald, 27, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, a former woman who became a stay-at-home dad, said he breastfeeds the 16-month-old son he gave birth to and belongs to a La Leche League Canada motherhood support group, the Toronto Star reported Monday.

MacDonald said he wrote a letter to the LLLC in June to ask about becoming a group leader, but received a rejection letter seven weeks later.

"Since an LLLC leader is a mother who breastfed a baby, a man cannot become an LLLC leader," the organization wrote.

"You told me that you do not identify as a mother. You are your baby's father. According to LLL philosophy the roles of mothers and fathers are not interchangeable. I think that this would make it difficult for you to represent LLL philosophy," the letter read.

MacDonald said he was "disappointed" by the decision. He said he does not agree with the organization's assertion that motherhood and fatherhood are fundamentally different.

"First and foremost I identify as a parent," Trevor said. "I suppose I use the term (fatherhood) because it's what we have going in our society, not because I think it's fantastic or I think it's really accurate."