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Gubernatorial Candidate Kelda Roys Deftly Takes on Breastfeeding Stigma Mid-Campaign Ad

The notion that breastfeeding is inappropriate and something to be hidden is a absolutely ridiculous, but unfortunately prevalent. There are countless anecdotes from mothers feeding their children being judged and criticized for doing so. (To be fully clear, this is totally separate from the notion that women should breastfeed and Those Who Don’t Are Bad, which is also based on total misinformation.) In her campaign ad “Our Girls”, Democratic candidate Kelda Roys isn’t giving in to that pressure, and breastfeeds her kid while talking about her work to combat BPA—all without breaking a sweat.

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BPA, short for Bisphenol A, is a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor. With former Senator Julie Lassa, Roys authored the law that made Wisconsin one of the first states to prohibit BPA from children’s foods and plastic containers.

Feeding her kid isn’t the center of the campaign message, it’s just something that she does when her daughter starts crying in the middle. Listening to people, helping every person, and the fact that “democracy only works when we all get involved” is the central message of Roy’s campaign video. Professional women who get pregnant and have children struggle often to be taken seriously, or to get the same opportunities as men. Roy works to combat that, showing that her ability to commit to both her family and state is a sign remarkable strength.

The 38-year-old is a former state representative and attorney who’s served on the boards of the ACLU of Wisconsin, Common Cause, and more. She is the CEO and founder of OpenHomes, “a real estate brokerage that uses technology to help people sell and buy homes more easily and affordably.”

She’ll likely be up against Scott Walker, the current Governor and former candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. You’ll remember him from smash hits like Wisconsin’s attempt to ban same-sex marriage, saying undocumented immigrants should “get in the back of line“, his A+ rating with the NRA, the “no climate tax” pledge and elimination of recycling programs, or calling abortion to save a woman’s life a “false choice“. Oh, and trying to drug test recipient of food stamps with a plan that most agree is humiliating, unnecessary, and wasteful.

In contrast, Roys’ stances include equal pay for women, universal paid and sick leave, a $15 minimum wage, clean energy, increased access to healthcare, and universal early childhood education. She also makes a point to highlight gun violence on her site with points like “End the NRA’s stranglehold on our politics”, “Address gun violence as the public health emergency it is” and “Stop pretending gun control is about hunters and sportsmen.”

Get involved, Wisconsin.

(via Jezebel, image: screencap)

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