‘My teeth exploded’: Transgender teen breaks silence on being assaulted for using her Minnesota school bathroom
Police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime
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Your support makes all the difference.A transgender teen recounted the moment she was assaulted inside a Minnesota high school bathroom when a student called her a f***** and punched her in the jaw.
“One of my teeth exploded, pieces in my mouth. My jaw was broken in two places…molar, just shattered,” Cobalt Sovereign, 17 told KARE in Minnesota about the attack.
The alleged assault happened last week inside Hopkins High School in Minnetonka. The other student leaned over a stall and started to harass Sovereign, according to the report. That is when she confronted him about it.
“He had no reason to have anything against me. I’ve never talked to him, never done anything negative to him,” she told KARE 11, an NBC affiliate. “And I was insulted and then eventually hit in the jaw.”
Sovereign was transported to a hospital following the May 30 incident. She remained there for two days to repair serious injuries. Authorities are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime. Police showed Sovereign’s mother footage of the incident, which she said confirmed her daughter’s story.
The other student involved in the incident has not been named or charged.
“I saw just what she described,” Ashley Sovereign said. “She comes out of the bathroom, and there’s these three kids. They are clearly getting to her and around her, and then one of them hit her while she’s just standing there, hit her very hard.”
The student said she’s had nightmares about the incident.
Using the bathroom in the past has always made Cobalt uncomfortable but she said she would rather be uncomfortable using the men’s bathroom then make other girls uncomfortable using the female restroom.
The high school does have gender neutral bathrooms but they tend to be occupied and are out of the way, the student told the outlet. She ultimately was able to use the bathroom once at the hospital.
In a statement, the district said, “Hopkins Public Schools is an inclusive community that values diversity and inclusion. We will address any issues that compromise the safety and inclusivity of our school environment. We support and stand by any group that is marginalized, including our LGBTQ+ scholars and staff.”
The incident prompted a local equity organization, called the Queer Equity Institute, to hold a rally attended by hundreds outside the school this week.
Reflecting on the incident, the child’s mother said, “Everyone is lucky who knows her. It might be hard for the world to have a trans kid but it’s not hard for me.”
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