An 18-year-old Minnesota high school student is taking legal action after she says a Buffalo Wild Wings employee harassed her in the women’s bathroom.
Gerika Mudra says she was eating at the restaurant in Owatonna when she went to use the restroom. According to her, a server followed her inside and yelled, “This is a women’s restroom, the man needs to get out.”
Mudra, who is biracial and identifies as a lesbian, says she told the employee, “I am a lady,” but was still told to leave. Unsure of what else to do, she unzipped her hoodie to show she had breasts. She says the server then left without apologizing.
On August 12, the group Gender Justice filed a discrimination complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights on Mudra’s behalf. Her stepmother, Shauna Otterness, believes Mudra was targeted because of her appearance.
“She didn’t do anything wrong. She just didn’t fit what that server thought a girl should look like,” Otterness said.
The nonprofit said Mudra’s experience reflects a wider problem of harassment toward people who don’t match traditional ideas of how women “should” look. While Mudra is not transgender, Gender Justice noted that similar incidents often happen to transgender people and other gender nonconforming individuals.
Senior attorney Sara Jane Baldwin said what happened was both wrong and illegal, explaining that Minnesota law protects people from discrimination in public spaces.
Mudra says she won’t go back to that restaurant and now feels uncomfortable using public bathrooms in general. She also hopes her story encourages others to speak up if they face harassment.
“It’s okay to stand up for yourself and be who you are,” she said.
