A transgender student and their family are speaking out after allegedly being assaulted while using the toilet at their Minnetonka, Minnesota, high school.
Local police are investigating the incident on May 30 as a suspected hate crime.
Cobalt Sovereign, 17, told ABC News that they were using the men’s toilet around 2:30 p.m. local time when they noticed a male student peeping over the stall.
According to Sovereign, the student hurled an anti-LGBTQ epithet at them, and they chose to leave the restroom without finishing due to the other student’s alleged hostility.
“Because I had never seen him before, I asked him what his problem was.” I didn’t bother him in any way. So I had no idea why he was treating me so badly,” Sovereign explained. Sovereign uses both they/them and she/her pronouns, identifying as either nonbinary or transgender.
Sovereign reported that the student and two others were following them in the corridor. They claimed that one of the pupils punched Sovereign unexpectedly.
“Immediately after the hit, I had fragments of teeth in my mouth.” Sovereign went to their school’s health center to talk with a counselor, who saw that “there was blood dripping down my teeth.” Sovereign explained.
Sovereign stated that the school’s nurses and counselors contacted their parents, advising them to seek medical assistance for their child and file a police report.
According to his relatives, the trauma center at a nearby hospital sent Sovereign for jaw surgery the following day.
Ashley Sovereign, Cobalt’s mother, also mentioned that Cobalt stated that they used the bathroom that corresponded to their gender assigned at birth because the gender-neutral bathrooms were too far away.
“She was attempting to follow the recommendations of others to reduce violence. “Well, if you’re going to use the bathroom, use the one you were assigned, your gender at birth,” Ashley Sovereign stated. “That’s just a setup for more violence.”
According to the Minnetonka Police Department, Ashley Sovereign called and submitted a police report. Police contacted the school, and the principal confirmed the event, according to officials.
The Hopkins Public Schools district confirmed the probe, stating, “Hopkins Public Schools is an inclusive community that values diversity and inclusion.” We will address any issues that jeopardize the safety and inclusion of our school community. We support and stand with any marginalized group, including our LGBTQ+ scholars and staff.
The school refuses to speak further on the subject due to an ongoing investigation.
Police have issued a search warrant for school footage and the names of the pupils involved, and they have obtained the information but not published it.
According to Sovereign, while the school appears to be very tolerant and receives a lot of emotional support from staff, the student body has become increasingly loud in its transphobia, with slurs or items hurled at them in the hallway.
The class a Sovereign is in, as well as the professors and students they are with, determine their level of comfort.
“As much as support is increasing, hate and cruelty toward transgender people, and even just gay people, are increasing in an astonishing way that I didn’t expect to see,” Sovereign added.
Ashley Sovereign finds it difficult to hear Cobalt discuss their recent experiences.
Ashley Sovereign stated, “One of the things we want to come out of it is just an awareness of how difficult it is for trans kids to just exist in school.” “She just wants to use the restroom.” Getting through the day is difficult. It does not have to be any harder.”
At least 12 states prohibit the bathrooms that transgender people can use; Minnesota is not one of them.
Sovereign believes that forcing transgender people to use the restroom assigned to their sex at birth is “entirely just a way to isolate us.”
Sovereign continued, “It’s terrible that something that so many people see as a solution is actively harming the people who are trying to use it as a solution.”
The family wants charges filed against the student who allegedly attacked Sovereign.
According to the ACLU and the Department of Homeland Security, there has been an increase in anti-LGBTQ legislation and bigotry in the United States.
Minnesota, on the other hand, has lately passed a slew of LGBTQ-friendly laws. Ashley and Cobalt Sovereign said they are grateful to live in a community that has been so supportive since the alleged event.
“It’s incredible how much support we’ve received,” Cobalt Sovereign stated. “It has not only made things easier, but it has also made me feel more secure in the community. “I love them.”
Ashley Sovereign continued, “We were already enjoying living in a place where you could go around and see Pride flags… It was very strong before this, I believe, but it has really brought out the love in people who don’t know her but want to protect her.