THREATS TO VOLUNTEERS and staff at a Galway hotel prompted organisers of a lactation conference to abandon plans for an in-person event this month, records show.

Emails released under the Freedom of Information Act show how the Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI) told the HSE it was forced to move the event online over the threats.

The association had planned a two-day conference at the Ardilaun Hotel on 9 and 10 October.

US lactation consultant Jacob Engelsman was due to deliver two talks on supporting gender-diverse families and creating inclusive clinical spaces.

Engelsman told the organisers that his talks were designed to help lactation providers feel more comfortable reaching out and making themselves available to LGBT parents in their community, a brief sent to the ALCI and released to The Journal states.

Engelsman is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant based in the United States who says he specialises in helping parents who have not given birth to induce lactation, as well as supporting queer, trans and non-binary parents.

Early social media posts criticising his talks at the conference claimed he delivered a talk titled “Inducing Lactation for Kinksters” at Sex Down South, a US-based sex and sexuality conference, in 2019.

The Journal could not independently verify this, and it appears the primary source of the claim is a Substack post by a person ”documenting the erasure of women from language and life” that was written in 2025.

It was separately reported before the conference that Engelsman wrote in his book, Lactation for the Rest of Us: A Guide for Queer and Trans Parents and Helpers, that cisgender men might seek to lactate primarily to feed and bond with a baby and, to a lesser extent, for “curiosity, fun, or sexual gratification”.

The Journal was also unable to independently verify this claim, which was first reported by Genspect, a gender-critical advocacy group founded in June 2021 by Irish psychotherapist Stella O’Malley.

Repeated claims

Records released under FOI show that the ALCI told the HSE he had not been invited to give a presentation on induced lactation in men.

His submitted abstract, seen by The Journal, did include induced lactation among the clinical topics for one session at the Galway event.

The event was targeted by anti-trans groups on social media before their concerns were parroted by sections of the mainstream media in Ireland.

The Irish Daily Mail was among the outlets to cover Engelsman’s planned appearance as a controversy, repeating online claims about the “kinksters” conference and the passage about sexual gratification in his book.

On 28 August, it highlighted criticism of the ALCI receiving public funding for inviting Engelsman to speak at a breastfeeding conference.

A week later, the newspaper also ran an article by The Countess founder Laoise de Brún, whose advocacy organisation campaigns against the inclusion of transgender identity education in schools, saying Engelsman was “laughing at breastfeeding mothers”.

Others on social media incorrectly claimed that the HSE “funded” Engelsman’s talks and made antisemitic claims linking his views on gender to his Jewish identity.

Earlier this month, Genspect said it had complained to the child and family agency Tusla about Engelsman’s talks. 

After the event was forced to move online, the Irish Examiner first reported about threats being issued but did not say to whom this happened.

Correspondence released to The Journal now shows that the ALCI told the HSE its volunteers and staff at the conference venue had received direct personal threats.

Emails also show how decisions were made to move the event online, including the organisers’ plans to offer Engelsman’s talks separately and to pay his full fee.

A since-deleted post on ALCI's Instagram page highlighting Engelsman's appearance at the conference Instagram Instagram

On 15 August, the ALCI informed HSE national breastfeeding co-ordinator Laura McHugh that it was facing criticism of Engelsman’s inclusion.

The criticism had come from an external individual who said non-member midwives and lactation specialists had raised concerns, the ALCI’s president Máiréad O’Sullivan wrote.

“Currently, none of our members have reported any concerns directly to the ALCI, and it appears that many of these social media allegations are from individuals living outside of Ireland,” O’Sullivan said.

‘To clarify one point’

On 19 August, the ALCI sent McHugh the speaker agreements and abstracts for Engelsman’s talks.

It said the topic of the talks had been requested in previous attendees’ feedback and the speaker had been suggested as part of that feedback.

“To clarify one point: Jacob has not been invited to the ALCI to deliver a presentation on induced lactation in men,” its president wrote.

The stated purpose, the ALCI said, was to help professionals provide appropriate and respectful support to gender-diverse families.

The abstracts also show that one session was indeed to discuss induced lactation, alongside other topics including the effects of testosterone.

Its learning objectives included advising parents on questions about induced lactation and lactating while taking testosterone.

The ALCI also told McHugh that online commentary had put its HSE funding and conference costs at more than €100,000, which it said was “entirely inaccurate”.

The ALCI’s signed grant agreement allocated €9,000 to the organisation for 2026, although the organisation had applied for €20,000.

On 25 August, Engelsman gave the ALCI written assurances about the proposed sessions.

“The content will be evidence-informed and relevant to the practice of lactation consultants,” he wrote, adding that the talks would be “evidence-informed” and would respect “professional boundaries”.

He also offered to provide slides or outlines in advance for review.

The same day, a journalist queried the HSE about its funding of the ALCI and Engelsman’s book.

The query stated that the conference would feature a talk that would “include advice for men and trans-men on lactation or ‘chest-feeding’” and mentioned Engelsman by name.

In its response, the HSE defended the opportunity for practitioners to improve their knowledge and skills in supporting families of different structures and backgrounds, describing it as necessary and in line with equality legislation and inclusion strategies.

Dozens of complaints

In the days that followed, the HSE began receiving dozens of complaints about the event, some of which accused Engelsman and the ALCI of promoting child abuse.

Several cited newspaper reports on the conference, some mentioned wasting “valuable taxpayers’ money” and one person repeated the incorrect claim that the ALCI received €100,000 a year from the HSE.

In an email sent to McHugh on 29 August, the ALCI’s president said the situation had escalated sharply.

“In the last 24 hours, this has moved beyond social media; we have received direct personal threats to Council volunteers and to staff at our conference venue,” the president wrote.

The venue had cancelled the 9-10 October booking the previous evening, the president said.

The ALCI had asked for written confirmation and a refund of its deposit. It also paused ticket sales and temporarily removed the programme and speaker details from its website.

“Even if the conference moves virtually or to a different in-person venue, we cannot proceed with his sessions due to ongoing safety concerns for Jacob, our members, our volunteers, and the venue staff,” the president wrote.

The email said that the ALCI had offered Engelsman the chance to deliver both talks afterwards as recordings or in a members-only webinar, with his full fee honoured: “the work of this speaker is not the concern”.

The ALCI also said it planned to tell ticket holders there had been a programme change on health and safety grounds without naming Engelsman individually.

“This is not how any of us foreseen [sic] this would go, but we have been left with no other option,” its president wrote.

The HSE also received political representations about the conference after this.

In an email to the HSE on 30 August, independent TD Carol Nolan cited allegations circulating online about the ALCI council members, though she acknowledged that they might not be substantiated.

“Whether these claims are ultimately substantiated or not, the fact that they are circulating widely and that they relate directly to individuals in senior ALCI roles, demands an immediate and transparent response from the HSE,” she wrote.

The ALCI told members on 1 September that the conference would move fully online because of concerns for delegates, speakers, members, venue staff and its council.

In a statement earlier this month, the ALCI said the subject matter from Engelsman’s previous presentations that had attracted public attention “was not part of the proposed ALCI programme”, and said it did not promote or endorse it.

The association said it had selected him to speak about lactation support for gender-diverse families and inclusive clinical practice, but that he was no longer participating in the conference.

The ALCI said its established speaker approval processes had been followed, including consideration by its council and review by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners as part of the application for continuing education points.

It said it would reflect on the events of recent weeks, including its processes and communication, and identify any improvements.