A registered sex offender who was caught allegedly exposing himself to women and children in facilities at a Virginia school multiple times over the course of several months is complaining in court that the prosecutor is misgendering him.
Richard Cox was arrested in December 2024 after he allegedly exposed himself to women and children in the women’s locker room of a community pool, which shares facilities with Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia. Cox reportedly complained in court on Thursday that the prosecutor was misgendering him by correctly referring to Cox as a man, according to Nick Minock of ABC7 News.
The judge refused Cox’s demand to make the prosecutor refer to him as a woman, according to Minock.
Cox, a Tier III registered sex offender who was first charged with indecent liberties in Arlington in 1992, was allowed to access the women’s changing room because he claims to be a woman. Arlington Public Schools (APS), which manages the facility where Cox was caught, maintains a policy that allows people to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their “gender identity” rather than biological sex.
Even after the event unfolded, the school maintained its commitment to its “inclusive” policies and said it would continue allowing men to use women’s spaces. Several Virginia residents even spoke out at a school board meeting the following month, asking the district to overlook the horrific incidents and maintain the policy that protected the sex offender.
The Arlington GOP claims the district was well aware of Cox’s presence for months prior to his arrest. Cox had been arrested months earlier in nearby Fairfax County in June of 2024 for indecent exposure in the women’s locker room of a Planet Fitness, though the charges were not pursued after Cox said he legally changed his gender to female. Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano allegedly declined to prosecute on the grounds that this meant no crime had been committed.
Cox is facing charges in Arlington and Fairfax counties for indecent liberties with a child, indecent exposure, and entering a school as a registered sex offender, among other things.
Richard K Cox Mugshot (Photo by Arlington County Police Department)
The district, along with four nearby Virginia school districts, was found in violation of civil rights law by the Department of Education (ED), which said the policy violates protections for women. APS has refused to back down.
“Arlington Public Schools will continue to foster an inclusive community for all, including students and staff who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community,” the district wrote in response to ED’s findings. “We are proud that our core values include excellence, equity, and inclusion.”
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