Hopkins students rally after trans student attacked

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A reported sucker punch to a trans teen at Hopkins High School has prompted a hate crime investigation.

Hundreds of people gathered to show love for the student on Wednesday and demand action from the school.

Safety was not a major concern for Hopkins High alum Jae Bates when he came out as transgender ten years ago.

"That never crossed my mind a day in my entire life being a student here," says the 2014 graduate. "And so it's sad to me, as a trans adult, that trans youth today, in 2024, a decade later, are less safe than I was."

Seventeen-year-old Cobalt Sovereign was attacked at the school last week.

Friends say it was a sucker punch as she walked out of the bathroom, and it was preceded by a slur.

So her fellow trans students are feeling targeted.

A rally held outside Hopkins High School on June 5, 2024. (FOX 9)

"I don't want to live in fear," said freshman Oliver Ridley. "I don't want any student at the school to live in fear that they're going to walk out of the bathroom and get their jaw broken. That's insane."

Cobalt’s brother says the attack ended her school year early, and she has a tough decision now about whether to come back to Hopkins for her senior year.

"She's experienced like glimmers of transphobia before this, just naturally, as most if not all trans people do," said Wilder Sovereign. "But it's never been this bad. It's never gone to the point of full-on assault."

He says his sister is mostly off solid food for the next four to six weeks and concerned about traumatic brain injury.

Friends are hoping she’ll be back to dominating claw machine games and paying for things in all pennies, and just being herself very soon.

Cobalt’s family says the school didn’t call for an ambulance or report the incident to police.

They had to do that themselves. And seeing Cobalt in pain has been hard, but this rally raised their spirits.

"If nothing else, I am happy that we have these lovely people here to show support," Sovereign said.

Police told FOX 9 they’re still investigating the incident as a potential hate crime.

We asked leaders at the school district for an interview with the superintendent and whether the attacker was disciplined.

They said they’re unable to comment until the investigation is complete.