Teen says restaurant employee made her ‘prove’ her gender in bathroom as complaint is filed

A Minnesota teenager has brought legal proceedings against a popular fast-food chain after claiming a security worker 'demanded' she 'prove' her gender before entering the bathroom.

The alleged incident occurred in April of this year, while 18-year-old Gerika Mudra was visiting a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Owatonna.

According to the cisgender woman, she'd felt uncomfortable in the eatery from the moment she walked in, claiming staff left her feeling uneasy from the get-go.

Things only intensified when Mudra attempted to use the on-site bathroom, heading to the female assigned facilities.

A female server is accused of following her into the bathroom, with Mudra claiming she proceeded to bang upon the toilet door while she was using the loo.

According to Mudra, the chicken wing-shop employee had yelled at her, informing her she wasn't welcome inside the female toilets, wrongly believing the customer to have been born male.

The 18-year-old has since filed a lawsuit (CBS News)

In a pre-recorded interview with her attorneys, the woman explained: "She came in yelling, 'This is a women's bathroom, the man has to get out'.

"I was just like, 'I am a girl,' and she was like, 'You need to get out now.' So, I showed her like, I am a girl, and she just walked out and didn't even apologise or anything."

The row allegedly became more extreme minutes later, however, to the point where Mudra felt obliged to show the worker her breasts in a bid to end the harassment, she says.

The alleged incident comes just weeks after a cisgender woman was wrongfully thrown out of female toilets at a hotel in Boston after being accused of being a non-biological woman.

Ansley Baker was allegedly told back in May that she did not belong in the space.

Baker (right) was thrown out of the women's toilets (WBZ-TV)

Now, Mudra has filed a discrimination complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights against the American restaurant chain, having partnered up with the nonprofit firm Gender Justice.

Her representative has since emphasised that the teenager is not simply requesting accountability and an apology, but for policies to be amended to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Lawyer, Sara Jane Baldwin, explained: "See them commit to doing better, commit to creating a culture and workplace where people aren't subject to this harassment and discrimination.

"State law prohibits discrimination in public services, but advocates say incidents like this are happening more often, and they're urging people to get to safety first and to reach out for help."

Also having interjected on the matter is Kat Rohn, the executive director of OutFront Minnesota.

Mudra is now fighting for policies to be changed (CBS News)

"Sharing these stories is important," she explained. "People hear this, not abstract concerns but real concerns happening in our communities."

Approached for comment by CBS, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights declined due to state law prohibitions on discussing open cases.

Tyla also contacted Buffalo Wild Wings for comment.