Trans Woman Told 'We Don't Serve Your Kind' Gets Apology But Files Discrimination Complaint

The manager of a popular bar in Tempe, Arizona has apologized for an ugly incident in which a transgender woman says she was refused to be served, and told "we don't serve your kind around here."

But Briana Sandy, 55, isn't satisfied and so she says she has filed an official complaint with the city's Diversity Office, as well as with Arizona's attorney general and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Sandy claims she was discriminated against when she visited the Tempe Tavern on Saturday to watch the Belmont Stakes. When she stepped up to the bar to order a soda, Sandy says that's when the bartender told her she wasn't welcome.

Rob Tasso, the bar's manager, disputes her claim that the bartender said, "we don't serve your kind," but he did explain the reasoning behind her expulsion, when he delivered a very public apology at a televised news conference held at the bar on Tuesday.

Without naming the bartender, Tasso explained he refused her service because he thought she might be a prostitute.

"Unfortunately, there's a male prostitution problem that's around here that's unique to our situation," Tasso said. "We have certain challenges that we've been dealing with for four years and it's been getting a lot better."

At the news conference, the bar manager said that Sandy should never have been asked to leave.

Sandy posted about the incident on her personal Facebook page and after it started going viral in the local news, the bar reached out to apologize, reports AZCentral.

Tasso, the bar manager, told Sandy, "I would love to apologize if you felt you were slighted in any way," He reassured her that all people are welcome at Tempe Tavern: "We welcome all kinds of people in this business. We have many gay customers, we have transgender performers. In no way did we ever mean to discriminate against you."

The bartender called it a "learning experience" and offered Sandy an invitation for free drinks at the Tempe Tavern next time she wants to watch a horse race.

That offer, however, apparently wasn't enough. She filed an official complaint through the Tempe Diversity office on Wednesday. The Tempe City Council approved an anti-discrimination ordinance in February 2014 that makes it illegal to discriminate against a person based on their gender identity, sexual orientation, or several other characteristics. Sandy is the first person to file a complaint using this new policy.

According to the policy, Tempe Tavern has 20 days to file a response. The bar could be fined up to $2,500 if the Diversity Office finds that they discriminated against Sandy.

Despite the public apology, Sandy's attorney, Benjamin Taylor, and civil-rights leader Jarrett Maupin were not satisfied. "It's a matter of changing policy, not the apology," Maupin said.

Watch a video below featuring Sandy and the bar manager: