Mom sparks backlash for breastfeeding at graduation

Some calling Facebook photo 'gross' and inappropriate

It was supposed to be a sweet shot captured by a classmate.

But a photo of a mother in California breastfeeding her baby during her college graduation has sparked controversy and backlash online.

Karlesha Thurman, 25, shared the photo on the Facebook page for Black Mothers Do Breastfeed.

When the group re-posted it, it went viral.

While many comments were supportive, others were more critical and called the move "gross" and inappropriate.

Thurman said she never posted the photo to get attention, and it's since been deleted from the group's Facebook page.

"Nobody there had a problem with it," she told ABC News about her May 22 graduation ceremony at California State University in Long Beach. "I was facing the other graduates. The crowd couldn't see me."

Click here to see the photo.