Before March 1, Alex Borrego was simply a St. Petersburg resident who worked her job at Publix everyday just as she had for the past 10 years and joined friends for nights out. After March 1, she became the transgender woman who faced discrimination at a bar in downtown St. Petersburg.
“I spoke with a couple of reporters after the incident and then Googled my name that weekend”and it pulled up five pages with links to the story,” Borrego said. “I couldn't believe it.”
Borrego's experience at the Bishop Tavern and Lounge went viral when some of the men in her party created a boycott page on Facebook following an uncomfortable Ladies' Night promotion.
According to Borrego, she and local performer Jaeda Fuentes decided to join three, transmen for a drink at Bishop Tavern downtown. It was a decision made at the spur of the moment.
“We were headed to the Alibi but we figured why not try something different?” Borrego said. “So we went there, got carded at the door and learned it was ladies night and went and found the guys.”
The group then ventured upstairs to enjoy ladies night and when the tab for the first round of drinks came up, Borrego said she asked the bartender about the promotion.
“She told me that it didn't cover top shelf, which is what we ordered, and that we needed to get a pink cup from the bouncer,” Borrego remembered.
That's when things took a turn for the worse.
Borrego said she approached a bouncer for a pink cup refused her the chance to enjoy the promotion.
“He said, “You guys can't participate, you guys are dudes,” Borrego said. “I told him I wasn't a man and tried to show him my ID with the “F” on the gender marker, but he didn't even want to look at it. He just kept telling us we couldn't partake in the event.”
Borrego, who grew up in south Florida, has lived as woman since last summer and legally had her gender changed to female on Feb. 1, when the gender marker on her license became an “F.”
After several requests to speak with a manager, Borrego finally found one who told her that it was the bar's discretion who can capitalize on a drink special.
“The manager made it sound like Jaeda and I just put on dresses to get free drinks,” Borrego said. “I can understand why they would refuse Jaeda, she's a drag queen who is legally a man. But I told the manager that I hadn't gone through all of the therapy and legal expenses to change my gender just for a few free drinks.”
Within an hour, a “Boycott Bishop's” page appeared on Facebook. The following day, she finally spoke with the owner of the bar, who apologized for the experience and said he would educate his staff about transgender issues.
“Recently a concern was raised about how a transgender customer was treated here,” the post read. “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.”
That was good news to Borrego's ears and Michael Keeffe, executive director of Trans*Action Florida (formerly FORGE), who has offered to help educate the bar's staff free of charge.
“In my opinion, it was an excellent apology coming from someone uneducated on the issue,” Keeffe said. “He handled it quickly and to me, it appeared to be a very sincere apology.”
Most of the comments under the apology are from members of the LGBT community thanking the popular tavern for its statement. A few, however, were transphobic and pointed to a “fringe movement.”
“Members of the transgender community are hearing from businesses all over town asking about what happened,” Keeffe said. “They're shocked that discrimination can happen like this and it's an opportunity for us to point out that Pinellas County's Human Rights Ordinance offers protections based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity.”
Borrego is ready to move on and said that since she never really planned to go to Bishop's Tavern in the first place, she doesn't see returning.
“I was never looking to destroy them or anything,” Borrego said. “I just wanted to make them aware and that's what happened.”
A town hall meeting to discuss transgender issues is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, at the L Train, 900 Central Ave., Suite 25B.
