An Owatonna, Minnesota, teenager has filed a discrimination complaint against Buffalo Wild Wings, alleging that an employee wrongly confronted her in a women’s restroom and demanded she prove her gender.
Gerika Mudra, 18, says the April 2024 incident left her shaken and reluctant to use public restrooms. Represented by the legal advocacy group Gender Justice, Mudra submitted her complaint to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights earlier this month, claiming the treatment she received violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation.
According to the complaint, Mudra entered the women’s restroom at the Owatonna location when a server followed her in, knocked on her stall, and told her to leave because she was “a man.” Mudra says she told the server, “I am a lady,” but the confrontation continued. She alleges that the server only left her alone after she partially unzipped her hoodie to reveal she had a chest.
“It was humiliating,” Mudra told local media. “I just wanted to use the restroom.”
Mudra’s stepmother, Shauna Otterness, said the incident was about appearance-based assumptions. “She did not fit what that server thought a girl should look like,” Otterness said.
Sara Jane Baldwin, senior staff attorney for Gender Justice, said the behavior Mudra describes constitutes unlawful discrimination. “People should be able to use the restroom without being harassed or humiliated based on someone else’s assumptions about their gender,” Baldwin said.
Megan Peterson, executive director of Gender Justice, also pointed to broader concerns. “If this had happened to a transgender person, the risks could have been even higher,” she said. Peterson added that these incidents often target people who are Black, brown, queer, or gender nonconforming, and they highlight the harm of public gender policing.
The complaint requests a formal apology from Buffalo Wild Wings, disciplinary action against the employee involved, and mandatory anti-discrimination training for staff.
Buffalo Wild Wings has not issued a detailed public statement on the case, but in comments to some media outlets said the company does not tolerate discrimination and is reviewing the matter internally.
Advocates say incidents like Mudra’s are becoming more visible in recent years in part because national debates about transgender rights have led to increased scrutiny and suspicion in public spaces. Civil rights groups argue that this atmosphere not only harms transgender people but also those who simply do not conform to traditional gender stereotypes.
For Mudra, the goal of filing the complaint is both personal and systemic. “I do not want this to happen to anyone else,” she said.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights will review the complaint and determine whether to pursue a formal investigation. If the case proceeds, it could result in mediation, policy changes, or other remedies.
Advocates say the case is another example of why clear anti-discrimination protections and active enforcement are essential for ensuring that everyone can move through public life without being harassed over how they look.
