A registered sex offender in Virginia who identified as transgender gained access to women’s bathrooms and locker rooms and exposed himself to multiple women and girls — later receiving a sympathetic response from a local school board member after complaining about alleged discrimination.
Richard Kenneth Cox, who went by the alias “Riki Cox,” emailed Arlington School Board member Kathleen Clark to protest a pool’s locker-room policy and what he described as “transphobic” treatment. According to newly obtained documents, Clark replied that she hoped he “did not experience transphobic statements from the staff. You should be able to use the showers and changing rooms that you are most comfortable using.”
It remains unclear whether Clark was aware of Cox’s criminal record when she responded, according to National Review. Cox, who identified himself as part of the “transgender community,” sent Clark an email on October 28, 2024 — just weeks after parents had raised concerns about his presence in girls’ locker rooms. He questioned her stance on transgender locker-room policies, writing that he wanted to know “who he should vote for.”
Cox argued that women uncomfortable with sharing facilities with males “should be invited to use the single locker room.” He added, “They are the ones that should be isolated before casting off me or other transgender people trying to be part of our community and not be treated like freaks.”
He continued, “I am writing you because there are multiple people running for School Board this year who claim to support the rights of LGBT people, and I want to know what you will do to reverse this decision of the Washington Liberty Swimming Pool before I cast my vote.”
The policy Cox referenced was implemented at Washington-Liberty after women reported seeing an exposed male in the showers. Signs were later posted instructing those not using the pool to use a separate locker room — something Cox criticized as treating him “like a freak or something.”
In a follow-up message, Clark described her experience in LGBTQ advocacy. “For background, I have worked with Turnout.org in SF in my role as Co-Chair of one of the Equality & Belonging groups at Gap Inc.,” she wrote. “We put together a transgender/non-binary competency training for our E&B teams last year to help educate folks on how to be supportive for their children and an ally to the community . . . my expectation is that our community and school system are inclusive.”
Cox then alleged that pool staff had “offended” him. “They literally asked me how much longer I was going to be in the shower, and directed other patrons to use the individual changing room while I was in the full locker room,” he wrote. “This is again sending the message that a transgender person is a freak and I guess not normal and beautiful like everyone else.”
Clark responded with empathy, telling Cox she hoped he “did not experience transphobic statements from the staff” and reiterated, “You should be able to use the showers and changing rooms that you are most comfortable using.”