Transgender Woman Denied 'Ladies' Night'; Bar Apologizes

Alex Borrego was at in downtown St. Pete with a group of friends for "ladies' night," where female patrons drink for free.

Borrego, who is transgender, and a friend, a cross-dresser, were denied the free drink special by a bouncer, who told them they were not females. The pair eventually left the bar after a dispute, according to the Tampa Bay Times.  

The Times reported: 

"At the door, a bouncer invited Borrego and one of her friends — a drag queen — to partake in free drinks as part of the Tavern's weekly 'ladies night.' But later, as the pair sipped vodka and cranberry juice from their pink cups, another bouncer approached.

'You guys don't get to participate,' they were told. 'Because you're dudes.' "

Borrego, the Times reported, is a transgender woman who was born a male but went through two years of hormone treatments to become a female.

Borrego showed the bouncer her Florida ID, which stated she is a female, but that did not change the bouncer's decision, the Times reported.

The group left the bar and created a Facebook page, which has now been taken down, boycotting the bar.

The day after the incident, Borrego posted on Facebook:

"In hindsight I am glad that the events of last night occurred, otherwise how else would I have known what a great community I am a part of? A personal apology was given and a public one is said to follow, and that is a step in the right direction. A dialogue has commenced and it is our duty to keep it ablaze.

... The way in which the community came together reminded me of a line from the movie Soul Food, 'One finger pointing the blame don't make no impact. But you ball up all them fingers into a fist...and you can strike a mighty blow.' I was, and still am, humbled by the out pour of support from friends and strangers alike."

On Friday Bishop Tavern issued an apology:

"Recently a concern was raised about how a transgender customer was treated here. We would like to sincerely apologize for this. Bishop strives on being one of St. Petersburg’s premier nightlife destinations for everyone, without prejudice. We really appreciate the fact that we live in such a diverse community.  This event has given us the opportunity to better educate our staff to ensure everyone has a pleasant experience regardless of who you are. A co-owner of Bishop has had thorough conversations with two of those involved. We are all pleased with the awareness provided and the results of these dialogues. Again, we regret this happened and look forward to assisting the LGBT community in creating more awareness and change."

By Monday news of the snub had been spread and published in the LA Times, Miami Herald, Huffington Post and even across the pond in the Daily Mail.