Release: The incident at Capone’s Restaurant

MTPC has received many inquiries about an incident at Capone’s
Restaurant in Peabody, where members of the Sisters Family social
club, a transgender organization, were refused admission. According
to testimony from multiple people who were present, employees of
Capone’s made anti-transgender statements in denying transgender
individuals admission to the facility.

It is wrong for any public establishment to deny admission to a person
based on their gender expression or identity. Existing state law has
proven in court to provide legal remedy against such discrimination,
and proposed law would further clarify that anti-transgender
discrimination is not tolerated in Massachusetts. MTPC will be
watching with interest the progress of this situation.

MTPC calls upon the transgender community to rally behind the pending
H1728/S1687 Transgender Civil Rights act that would finally establish
clear legal guidelines and remedies for situations such as the one at
Capone’s. There is no good reason why any good citizens of our
Commonwealth should be treated in a demeaning fashion, and the law
should reflect our state’s broad consensus in this.