BY: DM
Published 3 hours ago
An 18-year-old Minnesota woman says a routine lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings turned into a humiliating confrontation. Gerika Mudra, a high school senior, says the experience left her feeling unsafe in public bathrooms and pushed her to file a formal discrimination complaint. Here’s how the shocking incident unfolded.
Gerika Mudra says a Buffalo Wild Wings server followed her into the bathroom.
Mudra says the incident unfolded in April when she entered the women’s restroom at the Owatonna Buffalo Wild Wings. According to NBC News, Mudra immediately felt singled out by a server who followed her into the restroom, banged on her stall, and shouted that “the man” in the bathroom needed to leave.
“She had come in yelling, saying, ‘This is a woman’s restroom. The man has to get out,’” Mudra told KXII. “I was so confused… I didn’t know what to do.” Mudra said she told the server, “I am a lady,” but that the employee did not believe her and blocked her from exiting the stall until she unzipped her hoodie to show she had breasts. After she did, Mudra said the worker rolled her eyes and walked away without apologizing.
Gender Justice, a Minnesota civil rights nonprofit, now represents Mudra. On Aug. 12, the group filed a discrimination charge with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights on her behalf. The complaint argues the server’s conduct violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act’s protections for sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It requests an official apology from the restaurant, acknowledgment of the harm, and a commitment from Buffalo Wild Wings to improve employee training and prevent future incidents.
“This kind of gender policing is, unfortunately, nothing new. And yet, in our current climate, we have to ask: What if Gerika had been a trans person?” said Megan Peterson, executive director at Gender Justice. “Would this story have ended differently? That’s the terrifying reality too many trans people live with every day.”
What has Buffalo Wild Wings said about the incident?
Buffalo Wild Wings, which is owned by Inspire Brands, did not immediately release a statement responding to the complaint. Gender Justice and multiple media outlets reached out to the local restaurant and the company, but neither responded. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights also declined to comment, citing privacy rules for active complaints.
The Mudra complaint lands amid broader disputes nationwide over bathroom access, public accommodations protections, and how businesses handle gender-related confrontations. Civil rights groups and legal organizations have recently mounted challenges against state laws and policies that restrict restroom access for transgender people. Organizations such as Lambda Legal and the ACLU continue to file suits and requests for temporary relief in cases tied to state bathroom bans and similar restrictions.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights will determine next steps under state law. In the meantime, Mudra has said she does not plan to return to that restaurant and that the experience has made her wary of public restrooms.
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