ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) _ The owner of a St. Petersburg bar has apologized for refusing to serve free drinks to a transgender woman, who eventually left Bishop Tavern and Lounge after a heated dispute ensued.
The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/wCs7bG ) reports Alex Borrego and one of her friends a drag queen were invited by a bouncer to partake in the bar’s weekly “ladies night” promotion on Thursday.
As they drank vodka and cranberry juice another bouncer told them they couldn’t participate because “you’re dudes.”
Borrego’s driver’s license lists her gender as female, but the bouncer was unrelenting.
Bar owner Dean Marshlack apologized to Borrego and her friend on Friday.
He told the newspaper he plans to talk with his staff to ensure that transgender people will be treated with respect.
