Keke Palmer, the former Disney Channel star and new mother, took to Twitter to speak out against what she calls “breast milk discrimination.” Palmer claims that while at an airport in Houston, she was threatened with having to dispose of over 16 ounces of her breast milk.
This experience, according to the actress, “ruined [her] mood” and made her feel as though she was not being given the discretion and comfort she needed to pump her milk. Palmer further questioned why this behavior was not considered a crime, adding, “I’M A MOTHER for crying out loud.”
Keke Palmer was victim of ‘breast milk discrimination’ at airport
While the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) does allow for breast milk in carry-on baggage, it must be screened separately if it exceeds 100 milliliters or 3.4 ounces.
Palmer’s followers immediately offered their support and commiserated with her ordeal. Some even shared their own experiences of feeling “violated and embarrassed” while traveling with breast milk.
The former child star announced her pregnancy in December of 2022 and gave birth to her son Leodis just two months later. Since then, she has been sharing candid updates on her journey into motherhood, including how much her son has given her life a greater purpose.
Palmer and her boyfriend, Darius Jackson, have been together since 2021.
Keke Palmer claims she was a victim of “breast milk discrimination” at an airport in Houston.
The new mom, who welcomed son Leodis in February, tweeted Monday that the experience “ruined [her] mood.”
Palmer, 29, explained, “I should’ve popped my tit out right then because the discretion and comfort of pumping is thwarted with threats to throw out over 16oz [of] my babies [sic] food?!?!!!
“Why is that not a crime??” the “True Jackson, VP” alum continued. “I’M A MOTHER for crying out loud.”
The TSA states that breast milk “in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters are allowed in carry-on baggage,” though anything “in excess” of that must be “screened separately.”
Palmer’s followers commiserated with her plight.
“Pumping is not an easy task. 16oz is a lot ! That is not right at all!!!!” one Twitter user wrote, while another added, “No one deserves this stress and mistreatment while traveling.”
Other parents shared experiences at airports in Arkansas and Georgia that left them “violated and embarrassed.”
Palmer announced her pregnancy in December 2022 and gave birth to her and her boyfriend Darius Jackson‘s first child two months later.
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The “Nope” star defended her infant’s unique name at the time after a troll wrote that it “sound[ed] like it led a civil rights march.”
“It’s giving I marched with Martin [Luther King Jr.], purrrr,” she wrote in February.
The following month, the former Disney Channel star gave a candid “mommying” update, telling her Instagram followers that she will “never be the same again.”
Palmer gushed, “I have juggled quite a few careers but this is my greatest gig of all. … If you thought I was a bad mama jamma before, you can’t imagine the greater purpose my son has given my life!”
She and Jackson, who works as a personal trainer, have been together since 2021.
