A Minnesota transgender high school student had her jaw broken in two places after she used the men’s bathroom.
Cobalt Sovereign, 17, says she was assaulted by a fellow student as she left the bathroom at Hopkins High School on May 30.
She said the student looked over the stall and called her a ‘f****t’ and then punched her in the face as she was leaving.
Sovereign, who uses she/her pronouns, told KARE: ‘I was hit in the jaw and at the time one of my teeth exploded, pieces in my mouth.’
She was rushed to hospital and had three titanium plates fitted in her jaw. The school took disciplinary action against the alleged assailant and Minnetonka police are investigating.
Sovereign said she was using the men’s restroom in between classes when a fellow student peered into the stall she was in.
She told KARE: ‘In the bathroom, he had looked over the stall directly where I was attempting to use the bathroom, and that is where he initially called me a f—– in the first place.’
She said she then left the stall and walked out of the bathroom, where he was waiting.
He then allegedly punched her in the face, breaking her jaw in two places and shattering a tooth.
She said: ‘He had no reason to have anything against me, I’ve never talked to him, never done anything negative to him.
‘And I was insulted and then eventually hit in the jaw.’
Sovereign was rushed to hospital where she underwent a long surgery to fit three titanium plates in her jaw.
The school has gender neutral bathrooms but they are often busy or out of the way.
Sovereign said she had never been afraid to use the men’s restroom before, but that it makes her ‘incredibly uncomfortable.’
She said: ‘I would rather be uncomfortable than make other people uncomfortable by using the women’s bathroom.’
After the assault she said she has had nightmares and will require months of further treatment and surgeries.
A spokesperson for Hopkins Public Schools told NBC News that the school district and police ‘are investigating an act of violence that occurred last Thursday and involved a student who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community.’
They added: ‘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.’