Trans ex-charity boss says trans women's breastmilk 'benefits' babies

The transgender ex-boss of an endometriosis charity has sparked uproar after saying artificially-induced breastmilk produced by trans women could 'benefit' newborn babies. 

Steph Richards, 72, chief executive of campaign group TransLucent, is facing a backlash for claiming trans women's 'breastmilk' was 'suitable for infant feeding'. 

The 72-year-old Labour Party activist's comments come amid a fierce debate over transgender women 'chestfeeding' babies with milk produced following drug and hormone procedures. 

Posting on X, Ms Richards wrote: 'Sorry...but regarding the ongoing discussion of whether trans women can express milk to satisfy a baby, these two scientific papers suggest they can, albeit there is some doubt as to the quantity of milk that can be produced.

'The milk produced by trans women has been found to contain high protein levels and other nutrients, making it suitable for infant feeding. While the overall composition may vary slightly, it can still benefit the infant significantly.'

Ms Richards has previously claimed trans people can change their biological sex 'a little bit' and boasted about running a 'safe space' where men could dress up as women in secret, including as 'schoolgirls'.

Earlier this year, she faced fierce criticism after being appointed chief executive of Hampshire-based charity, Endometriosis South Coast, in a move women's rights campaigners branded 'worrying and insulting'.

The appointment of Ms Richards, who uses the pronouns she and her and has undergone £30,000 in treatment and surgery to transition, was met with anger from women's rights campaigners. 

Despite hitting back at her critics, saying 'my birth sex doesn't come into it - my CV does', Ms Richards later stepped down from the top role at the charity in May, amid claims she had received 'transphobic abuse' following her appointment. 

Her latest comments about breastfeeding were branded 'absolute lunacy' by some online, with one person saying: 'Women don't even breastfeed when there's any doubt about their ability to nourish their babies properly.

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'It's horrible to think of a parent so indifferent to the well-being of their child that they would skate on such thin ice just to satisfy the fantasies of the parent.'

But speaking to MailOnline, Ms Richards said: 'My post contained two links to scientific papers, and I tagged in a person I knew was interested in the subject. 

'My skin is far too thick to worry about the reactions from people who propagate a culture war and practice prejudice and discrimination against trans people.'

Earlier this year an NHS trust said breast milk produced by trans women was as good for babies as that produced by biological females who had just given birth. 

In a letter to campaigners, the University of Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, said the milk produced by trans women after taking a combination of drugs is 'comparable to that produced following the birth of a baby'.

The trust, which runs Royal Sussex County Hospital, Worthing Hospital and Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital among others, was also the first in Britain to replace 'breastfeeding' with the term 'chestfeeding' as part of a drive to be more inclusive. 

But Lottie Moore, of the Policy Exchange, which uncovered the letter, said the trust 'is unbalanced and naïve in its assertion that the secretions produced by a male on hormones can nourish an infant in the way a mother's breast milk can'. 

Medical studies carried out into the benefits of babies being fed with the breastmilk of transgender women have highlighted significant issues. 

In one study, a trans woman who tried 'chestfeeding' had to give up after a fortnight, according to a case report that challenges claims biological men can breastfeed successfully.

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Proof 'chestfeeding' is no replacement for breast?

The unidentified 37-year-old, from the Netherlands, failed to produce enough liquid to feed her newborn. She was making only 7ml a day, 100 times less than what the NHS says is needed by that point.

Medics in Amsterdam, who treated her, documented how she wanted to breastfeed in tandem with her partner to help with 'bonding' and share the workload.

The trans woman – who froze her sperm before transitioning – conceived her child with her partner, a biological female, via IVF in 2020 using her own sperm.

Despite months of preparation, she had to stop the 'exhausting' process two weeks after her child was born due to the low amount of milk produced.

But the researchers still said 'chestfeeding' – a controversial gender-neutral term for breastfeeding – was still 'valuable' for their patient. Sharing the trans woman's case, they also said breastfeeding has 'outgrown' its traditional female roots.

However, those in the study highlighted that the milk produced by transwomen contained fats and proteins that were 'comparable and even higher than those in term milk produced by cisgender women'.