“There’s a dirty old man in the parents’ room,” a woman told her friend after taking her son to the toilet in the parent’s room of Mackay’s Caneland Central shopping centre on Sunday.
That “dirty old man” was Damien Leeson, father to a seven-week-old baby. He’d gone into the parent’s room to feed his newborn daughter where he was abused by the woman who told Leeson it was “disgusting to see a full grown man in a parents’ room with a little girl”.
It didn’t stop there.
She called him a “dirty old (expletive)”. Then, upon exiting the change-room, told her waiting girlfriend Leeson was a “dirty old man”. The friend replied saying “that’s f**ked up’.”
Leeson was upset and shocked by the exchange.
“I’m quite a hands-on dad, dirty nappies, feeding, anything I can do,” he told the Daily Mercury. “My wife was there too and we just looked at each other in shock. I was doing the right thing.”
He also found he was not alone. He posted the story to Facebook and was inundated with comments from men who've experienced the same abuse.
"I had heaps of other dads comment, saying 'that's normal mate', 'get used to it' and that they get dirty looks and comments all the time," he said.
"I just posted for myself to see if any other males I knew had been through the same thing, but to then see so many other dads share similar encounters - it was disturbing really."
Dad advice:I Don’t Have Time to Hand-Make Presents For Your Baby.
Another father, Jeremy Phillips, shared his experience with the media.
"I often get strange looks as if I've walked into the wrong toilet or something, it's not a nice feeling when you know you have every right to be there too," Mr Phillips said. "My brother was called a 'perv' once for being in there as a woman tried to breastfeed. It's not everyone saying it but it shouldn't happen at all."
Thankfully, many women have also spoken out in support of Leeson, including Amy Marks who told media Leeson deserved a "pat on the back".
"Good on him for actually giving a hand to his wife and not being afraid to touch a dirty nappy or help out with the feeding; most wives would kill for a husband like that," she said. "It's called a 'parents' room' for a reason, it's not a 'mum's room'. I would have given him a pat on the back for being the only dad in there among so many women."
Top Comments
I'm glad there is a father out there doing what he should be and helping take care of his children. I have several friends and a brother-in-law who won't even change a diaper at home much less feed their child in public. They think the only thing a father has to do is play with their children for a few minutes a day and then their duties are fulfilled. My husband is a great father he would even change a dirty diaper when out if their were more family restrooms available or *gasp* changing tables in the men's restroom. Shockingly the only places we have found changing tables in the men's restroom are the bowling center and Target.
sadly this isn't a rare thing to happen to men, i've had this happen to me, local walmart has a family bathroom, i actually had some nasty mean "lady" block the door when i was taking my one year old daughter in there to changer her diaper. called me everything but a white boy.