Celebrating Pride Amid Alleged Brutal Attack On Transgender High School Student

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — At the sixth annual Golden Valley Pride celebration, enthusiasm and vibrancy are in the air, a place where people feel they can be themselves, without fear of being judged.

“Seeing so many different people, from so many different backgrounds, is really awesome,” said Luna Longinow of Cottage Grove.

This year's celebration comes amid allegations of a vicious and hateful attack not far from Golden Valley at Hopkins High School.

The victim: Cobalt Sovereign, a 17-year-old transgender student.

“I was continually insulted in the hallway before being punched directly in the jaw,” Sovereign said.

The injuries, Sovereign said, left him with several broken jaws and fractured teeth.

“Beyond comprehension, you know, why someone would target another person just because they're trying to be who they are,” said Sovereign's father, Mark Walztoni.

“It was just a little scary being at Hopkins,” said Aly Hipps of Hopkins.

Hipps is an alumnus of Hopkins High School and uses those pronouns.

“I think it kind of shows that even though they say they're inclusive to all of us, there's just a lack of respect. As people, we're seen as less,” Hipps said.

From their booth at Golden Valley Pride, Reclaim's Samuel Doten speaks with Pride attendees about the organization's mental health care and support services for queer and trans youth.

“We know that there is simply an increased demand for mental health services across the board,” Doten said.

Such attacks have a ripple effect, Doten said, beyond the intended target. The attack shows there is still much work to be done, he said.

“It’s even more important that we stand up, that we assert, that we make it clear that this type of violence and mistreatment is unacceptable,” Doten said.

“People need to learn when they are young what to respect and what to leave alone. You just have to understand people as they are and whether they want to be a different gender than they were born into, let them do it,” said Max Madden of Brooklyn Center.