Full Breakdown
Queer Milk Charity Receives Public Funding to Promote Chestfeeding
7/29/2026, 8:07:48 PM
Core Event
LGBT Health and Wellbeing runs a weekly “Queer Milk” programme in Edinburgh that invites transgender women — including biological men who identify as women — to give human milk to infants.
Funding and Operations
The programme has obtained “hundreds of thousands of pounds” from the SNP-run Scottish Government, the National Health Service and Scottish local councils. These public funds support the sessions, which are open to participants who identify as women regardless of biological sex. The charity operates alongside the Queer Milk Collective, which offers additional support for the “feeding journey” of biological men.
Official Statements & Responses
LGBT Health and Wellbeing asserts that the service provides an inclusive option for families seeking human milk, emphasizing that the practice is safe and can mirror the benefits of traditional breastfeeding.
Criticism & Opposition
For Women Scotland, represented by director Susan Smith, condemned the use of taxpayer money, describing the practice as “sinister” and predicting it would “sicken taxpayers.” Dr Alice Hodkinson, co-founder of the Biology in Medicine blog, called the initiative “mind-boggling” and argued that men can only produce a “thimble full” of secretions, far less than the “pints of milk” a baby typically requires.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We want to support women to breastfeed their babies, and that's really important. All women if they're able to. But the idea that men can do it, it's quite bizarre.” — Dr Hodkinson
- “Men can produce a little bit of chest secretions or nipple secretions. I think the most that's ever been recorded is about 30 millilitres, so a thimble full... Women can produce pints of milk, and that's what the baby is going to need, depending on the age of the baby.” — Hodkinson
