Minnesota Teen Who Was Made To Prove Gender in Restaurant Bathroom Now Filing Charges

Featured Image: Gerika Mudra video released by Gender Justice (courtesy of Gender Justice)

When Gerika Mudra, 18, went to dinner with a friend in Owatonna, the server was hostile—giving them dirty looks and whispering to staff. But she wasn’t expecting the server to follow her into the bathroom and bang on the stall. “This is a women’s restroom. The man needs to get out of here,” the employee told the teen.

Mudra, who is a biracial lesbian, told the server, “I am a lady.” The employee replied, “You have to get out now.” According to Jess Braverman, Legal Director of Gender Justice, the server wouldn’t let Mudra leave until the teen unzipped her hoodie to show that she had breasts. The employee then relented, and left without saying a word.

The April incident wasn’t the first time Mudra has been gender-policed in restrooms. But this was the worst time. The first time harassment didn’t let up after she told someone she’s a woman.

Now, Mudra plans to see Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in court. Gender Justice, a gender-equality organization based in St. Paul, has stepped in to wield some justice on this hotbed of gender panic. On August 12th, Gender Justice filed discrimination charges on behalf of the teenager with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. MDHR enforces the state law that prohibits discrimination in Minnesota, including that based on race, religion, disability, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Gender Justice has stated publicly that Mudra felt scared, trapped and humiliated. But it’s more than that. 

“What happened to Gerika Mudra was not just wrong, it was unlawful,” said Sara Jane Baldwin, Senior Staff Attorney at Gender Justice in a statement issued by the organization. “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.”

The incident speaks to the broad societal mood of queer fright, and while Mudra doesn’t identify as trans, one can only imagine what direction things might have gone had that been the case.

“This kind of gender policing is, unfortunately, nothing new. And yet, in our current climate we have to ask: What if Gerika had been a trans person?” said Megan Peterson, Executive Director at Gender Justice. “Would this story have ended differently? That’s the terrifying reality too many trans people live with every day.”

According to Gender Justice, about one-third of LGBTQ+ people have experienced harassment for using a bathroom; and almost 60% of trans people have avoided a bathroom entirely, out of fear. As a person of color, Mudra was also more likely than a white person to be the recipient of a meddling person’s suspicions.

“We know Gerika was targeted because of how she looks,” said Shauna Otterness, Mudra’s stepmom per Gender Justice. “She didn’t do anything wrong. She just didn’t fit what that server thought a girl should look like. 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.”