I had a male LC in 1990 when I had my second child. It was, frankly, ridiculous. I was frustrated because I had at least breastfed before, and he hadn't, and he was telling me all the things I was doing wrong. At one point I believe I asked him if he'd ever breastfed before. I understand that compassion and advocacy that may drive a man to help women in this capacity, but I personally have issue with it. But again, I have issue with male OB's as well. If you don't have the plumbing, it's hard to know how it really works.

I wouldn't be comfortable about it at all. But then again I wouldn't be comfortable with a women giving my husband some sort of penis-related advice. For one, I am a respecter of modesty and that personally is important to me on a religious and spiritual standpoint, but also a women isn't going to understand the basics of the male anatomy (even if she's studied the subject) and men aren't going to understand the basics of a woman's. Can they be compassionate and highly educated? Absolutely! Can they support my efforts to BF? Yes! But I would never ever turn to one and say "you know how sometimes when you get sore nipples...?" Absolutely not.
The question about women who are LCs with no personal experience or not having had troubles themselves--I find most to be "sympathetic" but they don't usually really "get" the bigger problems. They might understand they biologically, but BFing is so much about intuition mixed with knowledge and that takes a special personality, maturity and experience.

Certain experiences tailor us to certain jobs. I would have been a VERY compassion and loving doula before having kids, but now just being through childbirth all together gives me insight to what it's like to be in that seat. As a doula I try to help all clients but I always lean towards helping those who experiences are more similar to mine, b/c in those I am just clearly more effective in utilizing my abilities to help them. Does that mean that someone cannot be an LC, doula, CBE without having given birth/breastfed? No. But I think it takes a very special person to be able to fulfill that role without some measure of personal experience.