A transgender teenager has described the horror moment her “teeth exploded” when she was allegedly sucker-punched in the face and called a “f—-t” by a male student after trying to use the boy’s bathroom at her Minnesota high school.
Cobalt Sovereign, 17, said the beating unfolded just moments after the boy had peered over the top of the stall she was occupying at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka and allegedly hurled the slur at her, KARE reported.
“I was hit in the jaw and at the time one of my teeth exploded, pieces in my mouth,” the teen said of the May 30 attack.
“My jaw was broken in two places … molar, just shattered.”
The teen was rushed to hospital in the wake of the incident and underwent a multi-hour surgery to fit her jaw with three titanium plates.
“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 said.
While the school does have gender-inclusive restrooms, Sovereign said it’s sometimes more convenient to use the male bathrooms — even though it makes her uncomfortable.
“It makes me incredibly uncomfortable to be in the men’s bathroom,” the teen said, adding that she has never feared using them before.
“I would rather be uncomfortable than make other people uncomfortable by using the women’s bathroom,” Sovereign added.
Meanwhile, the Minnetonka Police Department is now investigating the alleged assault as a possible hate crime.
It wasn’t immediately clear if any charges would be brought against the male student, who hasn’t been identified publicly.
Hopkins High School officials confirmed the student responsible for allegedly punching Sovereign had been disciplined immediately, though they didn’t provide details about the punishment.
School policy is to suspend a student involved in a fight.
