Minnesota Teen Says Buffalo Wild Wings Worker Blocked Her in Restroom
A Minnesota civil rights group has filed a discrimination complaint against Buffalo Wild Wings after an 18-year-old biracial high school student said she was harassed by an employee in the women’s restroom.
Gender Justice submitted the charge this week to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights on behalf of Gerika Mudra, who is multiracial. According to the complaint, Mudra was dining at the Owatonna Buffalo Wild Wings when a server followed her into the women’s restroom, pounded on her stall door, and accused her of being in the wrong bathroom.
The server allegedly blocked Mudra from leaving until she unzipped her hoodie to prove she was female. Only then was she allowed to exit, the filing states.
Jane Baldwin, senior staff attorney at Gender Justice, said in a press release, “What happened to Gerika Mudra was not just wrong, it was unlawful. “Minnesota law protects people from exactly this kind of discrimination in public spaces. No one should be harassed, humiliated, or forced to prove themselves just to use the bathroom.”
Mudra, who is not transgender, said the incident left her shaken and humiliated. Advocates argue her treatment reflects broader patterns of bias and harassment against people who do not conform to traditional expectations of femininity, patterns often disproportionately experienced by LGBTQ+ people and Black women.
Megan Peterson, executive director at Gender Justice, stated, “Gerika’s story sits at the intersection of anti-LGBTQ+ panic, racism, and rigid gender norms and stereotypes. A growing culture of suspicion and control is targeting trans, gender-nonconforming, and Black girls and women—anyone who doesn’t match narrow ideas of how women should look or behave. When people are harassed just for existing, none of us are truly safe.”
Nearly one-third of LGBTQ+ people report being harassed in bathrooms, according to national surveys, while almost 60% of transgender people avoid public restrooms altogether due to fear. The complaint also notes that Black girls and women are frequently subjected to heightened scrutiny and disciplinary actions, both in schools and public spaces, based on how they look or present themselves.
Shauna Otterness, Mudra’s stepmom, said, “We know Gerika was targeted because of how she looks. She didn’t do anything wrong. She just didn’t fit what that server thought a girl should look like. I was shocked and heartbroken by how many people shared similar stories after I posted about it online. This shouldn’t be normal. We can do better, and we have to.”
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights will review the charge to determine next steps. Buffalo Wild Wings has not yet publicly responded to the filing.
