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Transgender activists threaten Peabody restaurant with loss of license, legal sanctions, for turning away men in dresses

One man used official Mass. driver's license identifying him as female -- your government at work!

POSTED: April 9, 2010

It's the latest in the homosexual movement's campaign to force their radical agenda on all of society through legal intimidation - with the help of our state government working against us.

A popular Peabody restaurant is being threatened with loss of their operating license and an expensive lawsuit because the doorman turned away men wearing women's clothes (including short skirts). One of the men produced a valid Massachusetts driver's license saying he's a female - which the Patrick administration now allows as a gift to the homosexual movement. This gave the activists even more ammunition against the restaurant. The restaurant is now being forced by Peabody city officials to "negotiate" with the homosexual and transgender activists or face action by the city and state alcohol licensing boards.

Capone's Italian American Restaurant in Peabody, a popular restaurant and bar, was recently targeted by a transgender activist group, apparently to set an example for others. Robert Knowles, a transgender activist from Saugus who wears women's' clothes in public and who goes by the name of "Ashley Amber Bottoms", began bringing a group of men in women's clothes (who call themselves the "Sisters Group") to Capone's after their transgender group meetings.

An interesting footnote: The Sisters Group meets every Friday evening at the Peabody Marriott Hotel, site of the transgender conference in our video showing huge men using the women's restroom. They then target a local restaurant for their cross-dresser challenge.

Robert Knowles, a.k.a. "Ashley Amber Bottoms", an unemployed crane operator from Saugus and transgender activist.

It started with restroom issues

After the first few visits, the Capone's staff asked them to use the men's restroom instead of the women's restroom. They agreed to do that. But apparently their presence was causing so much disruption and discomfort to the restaurant's patrons that when the group came on Jan.29, staff met them at the door and refused to let them in.

The men of the "Sisters Family" have their own calling card.


The men insisted that they had a legal right to be let in, and one of them showed them the Massachusetts driver's license stating that he was a female, even though he was clearly a man wearing women's clothes. As the homosexual newspaper Bay Windows described it:

According to Bottoms, despite the women's protests, the bouncer wouldn't relent. "One girl offered to take off her wig to show what she looked like and I told her, 'No. You shouldn't have to do that to prove yourself to anybody,' " Bottoms said. Another transgender woman offered her license to the doorman, explaining that her DMV picture reflected the way she looks now; her long hair is natural. "The guy looked at us and said, 'but you're wearing makeup. I can't tell,'" Bottoms said. "And I went, 'you know that's BS, because girls wear makeup!' "

A third member of the social group is legally female, and produced a license to that effect. "And he looked at her and said, 'Nope, because you're really a guy.' "

The men were apparently all prepared to take action. They immediately demanded to know the name of the manager. The next day they filed complaints with the City of Peabody, the District Attorney, various licensing boards, and other public officials, according to news reports.

Hardcore activists. Mr. Knowles (as Ashley Bottoms), left, and friend at the State House for the Transgender Bill Public Hearing on July 14. (MassResistance photo)

The Boston Globe reported it on Feb. 21 (Note that they describe the man with the "legal" female driver's license as a "woman" but refer to "Bottoms" as "he"):

Knowles, also known as Ashley Amber Bottoms, detailed the alleged snub in a letter to the city’s licensing board earlier this month. He contends that eight members of the group - including a woman - were barred entry by workers at Capone’s on Jan. 29.

“The door staff told me we would not be allowed entrance because of how we were dressed and that men in skirts would not be allowed inside,’’ he wrote in the complaint. . .

Knowles, an unemployed crane operator who dresses like a woman in public, said he had visited Capone’s on three prior occasions with the transgender social group he directs. The group has five chapters in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.

On Feb. 22, the case went before the Peabody Licensing Board. Over 30 homosexual activists from across the state crowded into the small basement hearing room to intimidate. Because of the possibility of losing their license, the owner of Capone's had to cut short a vacation in Florida to be there. The transgender group hired a professional "permitting consultant", C. Whiting Price, to push their agenda at the meeting.

Owner of restaurant (center) surrounded by "Ashley Bottoms" and roomful of angry homosexual and transgender activists at Peabody License Board hearing on Feb. 22.

"Mediation" -- homosexual activists' path to victory by intimidation

At the meeting, Price apparently urged Peabody City Solicitor, John Christopher, and the Chairman of the Peabody Licensing Board, Minas Dakos, to pressure the restaurant's owner to enter into "mediation" with the transgender group or else face an expensive hearing and possible loss of license, lawsuit, and loss of business.

As one local newspaper reported:

Rice said the end result of mediation could be anything from particular conditions put upon Capone's, sensitivity training or citywide policy changes to require of all alcohol license holders in regards to gender issues.

That pretty much says it all.

Assistant City Solicitor Brian Barrett is acting as "mediator". The restaurant was given until April 26 to come to a suitable agreement with the transgender activists, or face formal charges by the city and state authorities.

These are the kinds of brutal tactics being used by the homosexual/transgender movement -- working hand in glove with our own government officials to subvert community standards and freedoms of citizens.

Newspaper coverage

The homosexual lobby's PR machine went to work pretty quickly on this. It's interesting the slant that various media outlets took, what facts they get right, what they leave out (e.g., the Mass. driver's license problem), and how often they refer to a man as "she".

Public officials won't talk, or are hostile

In early February, Peabody Licensing Board Chairman Minas Dakos told a reporter that he did not know what authority, if any, it had to deal with the allegation. But they seemed to have changed their opinion about that since then. MassResistance attempted to call the Peabody Licensing Board for a comment but could only get an answering machine.

On Wednesday, we called the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to ask them about this kind of situation, what laws the restaurant allegedly broke, the legal jurisdiction of the state commission, and how other restaurants should react in this situation. As soon as we told the person what the subject of our question was, he became quite hostile and refused to give us any information except to direct us to portions of the Commission's website. Although he admitted that they do have jurisdiction in these matters, when we asked how restaurants should deal with this, he simply said, "we don't give legal advice" - an odd answer for the group that supposedly tells businesses what to do in order to follow the law. (Unfortunately, this dismissive attitude is very common when state Massachusetts employees discover you have a pro-family point of view.)

Was the restaurant breaking any laws? Is so-called "gender identity" a "protected" class, even though we can't find that wording in any state laws? Is it a strange kind of "sexual orientation"? The Commission refused to answer any of our questions.

We also tried on numerous occasions to reach Assistant City Solicitor Brian Barrett, who is in charge of mediating the "negotiations," but he refused to take our calls and did not return messages.

Gender Identity Disorder

The elephant in the middle of the room is the fact that this is transgenderism, cross-dressing, and its related behaviors are advanced symptoms of Gender Identity Disorder, which is recognized by the mental health profession as a sicknes that needs to be treated (besides a perversion), not something that must be forced unwillingly on the rest of society by threats of punishment.

Homosexual and transgender movement jumping on board

Not surprisingly, this has become a cause celebre in the homosexual and transgender movement. Even the national homosexual newspaper The Advocate is covering it. They see this kind of threat and intimidation as an important tactic in achieving their goals.

In addition, according to homosexual blogs that we've seen, Capone's has been harassed by homosexual activists, who have also organized a boycott against the restaurant.

And it could get worse

It's bad enough that a business is being forced to "negotiate" with homosexual activists in order to avoid essentially being shut down. But this culd be just the beginning.

The Capone's employees were lucky. If the Transgender Rights and Hate Crimes bill (H1728) passes, they could all get heavy fines and jail time for merely noting a difference, and the restaurant could face major problems. This is exactly what the homosexual and transgender movement wants.  (MassResistance flier on Transgender Rights Bill H1728.)

TAKE ACTION!

Don't let this happen in America. All places of business ("public accommodations") will be forced to comply with this insanity under threat of the hammer of government. And restrooms and locker rooms are next. If this bothers you (and it should!) there are a few things you can do right now.

City of Peabody:  978-532-3000
Call the Mayor's office:  978-538-5702
Call the Peabody Licensing Board: 978-538-5717
Tell them NOT to force the restaurant to negotiate with men dressing as women in order to stay in business.

Call the Governor's office: 617-725-4005
Tell him to STOP supporting the radical transgender movement by giving "female" licenses to males.

Mass. Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission: 617-727-3040
What is their authority for ordering restaurants to accept bizarre behaviors?

Contact Capone's with your support.  Encourage them NOT to give in. And patronize them if you can!

There will be more that you can do in the coming weeks.

Capone's Italian American Restaurant in Peabody -- target of attacks by homosexual activists.