Overview

• Gerika Mudra, an 18-year-old biracial lesbian high school student, alleges that an employee followed her into the women’s restroom at the Owatonna Buffalo Wild Wings in April and demanded she prove her sex.
• Gender Justice lodged a formal discrimination charge with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights under the Minnesota Human Rights Act on Mudra’s behalf on August 12 and 13.
• The Minnesota Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in public accommodations based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and holds businesses liable if staff are not trained to uphold these protections.
• Inspire Brands, the parent company of Buffalo Wild Wings, has remained silent publicly and it is unclear whether the server faced any disciplinary measures after a reported private apology.
• Advocates say the complaint underscores a broader climate of bathroom policing and gender-based harassment that disproportionately affects gender-nonconforming individuals and queer women of color.