Why is Minnesota teen suing Buffalo Wild Wings? High schooler accuses Owatonna restaurant of gender discrimination

An 18-year-old Minnesota high school senior has formally filed a discrimination complaint against a Buffalo Wild Wings outlet in Owatonna, alleging that a server harassed her and demanded she "prove" her gender while she was using the women's restroom.

The complaint, filed Tuesday with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights by the nonprofit legal advocacy organization, Gender Justice, involves an incident from April. It comes from Gerika Mudra, a biracial lesbian, who states that she had previously experienced such questions and confusions from others but not up to this extent.

According to the report, Gerika Mudra went to the ladies' restroom while out to eat with a friend. She claims a server followed her into the restroom, knocked on the stall door, and allegedly said, "This is a women’s restroom. The man needs to get out of here."

Mudra said she stepped out and said to the server that she was a woman, but the worker allegedly told her to leave. She said she felt pressured and therefore unzipped her hoodie to show her chest to try and prove her gender. After this, the server reportedly left without any comments or apologies.

"She made me feel very uncomfortable. After that, I just don’t like going in public bathrooms. I just hold it in. ... I want to be able to use the bathroom in peace," Mudra said in a statement according to NBC News.

A look into legal grounds and broader context related to Gerika Mudra's recent case

Gender Justice contends the alleged incident corresponds with a violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, including where discrimination occurs because of stereotypes or assumptions regarding those characteristics.

Sara Jane Baldwin, a senior staff attorney with the group, said that Gerika Mudra’s example shows how “gender policing” harms not just transgender people, but anyone who doesn’t fit narrow ideas of how a woman or a man “should” look.

According to MPR News, although Mudra is not transgender, her attorneys maintain that she was targeted based on a combination of stereotypes about her appearance, her race, and her sexual orientation. She is Black and white, and identifies as a lesbian.

"We believe that the server's actions were based on combined stereotypes regarding Gerika’s appearance, whether related to her race, body type, dining partner or whatever," Baldwin said in a statement.

Advocates argue that Mudra's experience is indicative of a larger atmosphere of distrust and suspicion toward people who don't fit gendered expectations in appearance, and that atmosphere is even more pronounced with the legislative battles about transgender rights and issues surrounding bathroom access and sports participation.

The discrimination charge put forth by Gerika Mudra isn't a lawsuit, but it starts a formal investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The restaurant will have a chance to respond and the parties could enter mediation. Inspire Brands, the owner of Buffalo Wild Wings, has not publicly commented on the allegations.