by John Castelluccio
PEABODY - A group of transgender males claim they were barred entry to Capone’s Italian American Restaurant late last month because their IDs didn’t match their physical appearance.
They feel that’s discriminatory and a violation of their civil rights.
Ashley Bottoms, a 42-year-old Saugus resident and leader of the group, asked city Licensing Board Chairman Minas Dakos to hold a public hearing. Dakos isn’t sure what authority the board has in the matter, but agreed to let Bottoms and her group, Sisters Family, speak before the Licensing Board on Feb. 22.
Mayor Michael Bonfanti said Bottoms also called his office and she was referred to the city solicitor and District Attorney’s office.
Bottoms, whose legal name is Robert Knowles, founded Sisters Family in 2007 as both a support group and social gathering for fellow transvestites. The group now has chapters in three states.
The group meets in Peabody on Fridays before heading elsewhere on the North Shore or into Boston.
On Jan. 29, Sisters Family decided to go back to Capone’s, which they visited a handful of times before. Nothing untoward happened on the first visit, but on two subsequent treks to the restaurant for its live music and dancing on weekends, concerns were raised about group members’ attire and they were asked to use the men’s room by the female manager, Bottoms says.
This time, the group wasn’t allowed inside. One man collecting the $5 cover charge at the door asked to see photo IDs that matched the current appearance of the eight group members, down to facial features. Bottoms says that was never an issue before, and one person’s driver’s license does identify her as a female.
Bottoms said the owner later told her the group should keep to the Boston club scene.
On Monday, an employee who answered the phone at Capone’s declined to speak on the matter. “No comment sir,” he said and hung up.
Bottoms said she has talked to the DA’s office, which suggested filing a discrimination suit in court, but she wants to see what the city can do first, while remaining civil about the whole matter.
Some of the Sisters Family are also attorneys and they suggest asking the city to intervene.
“Let’s see if Peabody is willing to step up...if something can be done,” Bottoms said. “I believe in equal rights.”
