In recent years, there has been increased outrage and panic about transgender people and what bathrooms they use. People claim gender neutral bathrooms or allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that aligns with who they are rather than the body parts they were born with, will put women in danger. This way of thinking is dangerous — and not just for trans people. Minnesota teen Gerika Mudra, who is not transgender, is filing discrimination charges after she claims a server at the local Buffalo Wild Wings harassed her into proving she’s a girl.
In April 2025, 18-year-old Gerika Mudra went to Buffalo Wild Wings in Owatonna with a friend, NBC News reported. When she went to the bathroom, a server followed her, banging on the stall door.
“This is a women’s restroom. The man needs to get out of here,” the server allegedly said.
Mudra, who is biracial, is cisgender but presents in a more masculine style. Because of this, she has had similar interactions with people before. But usually once she says that she is a girl, they leave her alone. This server didn’t.
When Mudra came out of the stall, she told the server “I am a lady.” But the server reiterated “You have to get out now,” NBC News reported. The teen felt pressured to prove she wasn’t lying, so she unzipped her hoodie to reveal that she has breasts. She was wearing a shirt under the hoodie. After this, the server walked out without saying another word.
The interaction prompted the teen to reach out to Gender Justice, a Minnesota-based gender equality organization. On August 12, the organization filed a charge of discrimination with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights on Mudra’s behalf, it shared in a statement.
Gender Justice added that Mudra’s experience “reflects a broader climate of fear and suspicion aimed at anyone who doesn’t conform to narrow expectations of what girls and women ‘should’ look like.”
“While she is not transgender, the scrutiny and harassment she faced is unfortunately all too familiar to trans and gender expansive people, including masculine presenting queer women,” it explained.
“She made me feel very uncomfortable,” Mudra said through Gender Justice. “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.” The teen also shared that she won’t return to that Buffalo Wild Wings.
Despite requests for comments from both People and NBC News, reps from the restaurant chain have not responded.
“We know Gerika was targeted because of how she looks,” said Mudra’s stepmother, Shauna Otterness. “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.”
Sara Jane Baldwin, senior staff attorney at Gender Justice, also spoke about the case. “What happened to Gerika Mudra was not just wrong, it was unlawful,” she said. “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 wants to use this moment to remind people who have been victims of this type of harassment to know they’re not the problem. “It’s okay [for them] to stick up for themselves, and be okay with who they are,” she said in a Gender Justice video posted on YouTube.
