Emily Calandrelli TSA Shaming Inspires New Bill For Traveling Moms

Remember earlier this summer when Emily Calandrelli, star of Netflix’s Emily’s Wonder Lab, called out the TSA for confiscating her breastmilk at the airport? It was an incredibly upsetting experience for her, and, unfortunately, an all-too-common one for traveling moms.

Back in May, Calandrelli, a mother of a toddler and an infant, says she was left “humiliated” by two male TSA agents when they told her she wasn’t allowed to bring ice packs onto her plane to keep her breastmilk cool.

She took to her social media accounts to share her account of what happened—and many other breastfeeding moms shared their support.

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“Here’s what happened,” she begins. “Today was my 1st trip away from my 10wk old son, who I’m currently breastfeeding. I’m going through security at LAX. I brought my pump and 2 ice packs – only 1 of which was cold (I won’t need the other until I come home, when I’ll have more milk).”

She said she didn’t currently have milk on-hand, but was preparing to pump shortly before boarding her 5-hour flight. She said it was then that two male TSA agents told her she wasn’t allowed to bring her ice packs on board because they weren’t frozen solid. She was told that because she didn’t have milk on-hand, she wasn’t allowed to bring them through.

She tried to explain that she was preparing to pump. She was told that if her baby was with her, there wouldn’t be an issue. (Because moms can’t travel without their babies? Make it make sense.)

“I asked multiple times to speak to a female agent and they wouldn’t allow it,” she said. She says she was escorted out of the TSA line and was forced to check her ice packs.

“I cried in the airport,” she writes. “I was embarrassed about having to explain breastfeeding to 3 grown men.”

Her awful experience was not in vain, however. Yesterday on TikTok and Instagram, Calandrelli shared that after that fateful day, she decided to reach out to her state representative to see if there was anything that could be done in regard to protecting traveling moms from enduring this kind of unavoidable harassment and shame.

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Bill comes out tomorrow!!!
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“And guess what?” she asked on TikTok. “My representative responded.”

Her state representative is none other than…drumroll please…KATIE PORTER. Now, if anyone can get things done and right some wrongs, it’s Rep. Katie Porter. And her whiteboard.

“And we worked on a bill together to help traveling parents,” Calendrelli says. “The bill comes out tomorrow, and we’re going to need help from people like you to help get it passed. So…stay tuned!”

The information about the bill isn’t available yet, but watch this space for updates! Because breastfeeding parents shouldn’t have to worry about being accosted, humiliated, or shamed for pumping and storing milk while traveling to bring home to their babies.

What better way to honor National Breastfeeding Month than to advocate for breastfeeding parents in this way? We can’t wait to see how far this bill goes.