A Buffalo Wild Wings sports bar in Owatonna, Minnesota, has been accused of discrimination after one of its servers forced a patron to prove their gender in the girls’ bathroom.
Gerika Mudra, 18, had visited the venue over the Easter season with a friend and noticed from the start of their dining experience that the proprietor gave her and her companion a cold shoulder.
Mudra has since taken the matter to the equality advocacy group Gender Justice and filed charges against the organization in accordance with the state’s laws.
Eighteen-year-old Mudra Gerika claims she felt the hostility as soon as she entered the bar
Image credits: Gender Justice
Gender Justice has documented the claim on its website and YouTube, grabbing the attention of netizens and mainstream media outlets alike.
In a video, Gerika–a multi-racial lesbian–claimed the cold treatment began as soon as they set foot in the bar.
She described the staff as “rude” and claimed that, unlike with all the other patrons, they did not wish them a happy Easter.
Image credits: freepik
“The whole time she was just looking at us,” Mudra said of the proprietor, whom she accused of gossiping about them to her underlings.
The server came in and banged on the bathroom door while Gerika was on the loo
Then, at some point, Mudra decided to go to the bathroom. Once she was in the stall, a server banged on the door, yelling: “This is a women’s restroom. The man needs to get out of here.”
Image credits: Jessie McCall / Unsplash
The 18-year-old stepped out of the bathroom and told the intrusive staffer, “I am a lady,” to which the staffer responded: “You have to get out now.”
At that point, Mudra felt obligated to prove her gender and unzipped her hoodie to show the server her upper half.
The Buffalo Wild Wings turned tail and fled without another word.
Gerika says she no longer uses public bathrooms
Image credits: Gender Justice
While the establishment and its condescending workforce may have been left with egg on their faces, Gerika says the experience has left a lingering bad taste.
“She made me feel very uncomfortable,” she said of the server who confronted her.
“After that, I just don’t like going in[to] public bathrooms. I just hold it in. … I want to be able to use the bathroom in peace.”
Image credits: Gender Justice
Sara Jane Baldwin, who serves Gender Justice as a senior attorney, has since also commented on the debacle.
A Gender Justice attorney says the bar will be held liable for the incident
Speaking at a press conference on August 12, Baldwin pointed out that the bathroom altercation resulted from assumptions made by the bar’s staff.
She underscored Minnesota’s legislature that protects against discrimination and stereotypes and said:
“Businesses have a legal obligation not to just have antidiscrimination policies on paper, but to train staff and ensure that those policies are followed in real time,” per an August 12 NBC report.
“When that doesn’t happen, the business is liable for the harm caused.”
In a separate statement, the organization pointed out that the issue was not exclusive to the Owatonna establishment but rather part of a broader pattern.
Image credits: Gender Justice
“This wasn’t just wrong, it was illegal. And it’s part of a larger, dangerous trend,” the website states.
Going by the public’s reaction, Gerika’s situation can be handled differently
The public has not gotten its collective head around the incident. One person, who has likely never experienced anything of the sort, wrote:
“I cant imagine anyone working in hospitality caring enough to even ask let alone making someone prove anything.”
Image credits: Gender Justice
“I remember the days you could go to a restaurant and order food and get food” said another, nostalgically.
A person who viewed things from the proprietor’s perspective feels they could have handled the matter diplomatically.
“As a parent I would have [gone] to have a nice chat with that employee,” they wrote. “She could have asked to see her ID or License. There are other ways of doing things without humiliation.”
The public wants heads to roll
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