What you need to know:
This explosive Democratic infighting exposes how radical leftist gender policies are backfiring so badly that even liberals can’t defend them anymore.
When women and children were put at risk by their own transgender bathroom rules, Democrat Jeff McKay tried to shift blame rather than admit their policies failed.
Now, fellow Democrats are turning on McKay, publicly calling out his lies and telling him to change the policy.
This breakdown shows the left’s extreme transgender agenda is collapsing under its own weight. Their priority isn’t protecting your children – it’s protecting their woke ideology, even as it crumbles around them.
This political civil war gives conservatives a perfect opportunity to highlight the dangerous consequences of liberal policies and build momentum for common-sense leadership that puts safety before radical gender experiments.
by Nick Minock Wed, March 12th 2025
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — 7News was the first to report that sex offender Richard Cox allegedly exposed himself in Fairfax County rec centers, according to witnesses, police, and the county.
Democrat Fairfax County Chair Jeff McKay and the county government are pointing the finger at Virginia lawmakers for rejecting a bill that they say could prevent this in the future
For weeks, 7News has been pressing McKay and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for answers on what are they going to do to keep women and children safe at county rec centers.
7News was also the first to report that Cox told rec center staff he was transgender and was allowed to use the women’s locker rooms per the county’s policy.
Cox then allegedly exposed himself to women and girls in female locker rooms at three Fairfax County rec centers, according to the county, witnesses, and police.
According to court records in the 1990s, Cox admitted he suffered compulsions to expose himself in public places.
After 7News’ reporting on Cox, McKay sent his constituents a newsletter that read “setting the record straight.”
On March 4, 2025, McKay wrote, “the Board of Supervisors supported legislation to extend the prohibitions in place for sex offenders to include local rec center and park facilities. However, the bill (HB 2527) that sought to do this did not move forward this year, as it was rejected by the Courts of Justice Committee and in the Appropriations Committee in February.”
But now, top Virginia Democratic lawmakers are firing back at McKay.
“That bill had nothing to do with local park facilities or local recreational facilities,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell told 7News.
Sen. Surovell, who represents Fairfax County, said there were inaccuracies in McKay’s newsletter.
“I don’t know why the board [of supervisors] feels the need to point at the state,” said Surovell. “It seems to be a very simple issue. You basically just change the policy on which dressing rooms people can use.”
“I would think they [the board of supervisors] could simply say that if you’re a transgender person, you have to use the family dressing room instead of one of the either male or the female room,” said Surovell. “They have that authority. And it’s not clear to me why they couldn’t use that authority to deal with at least part of this situation.”
Surovell and Democratic Delegate Vivian Watts told 7News the bill McKay referred to only deals with state parks and not local rec centers and local parks.
The legislation failed in the House.
Republican Delegate Kim Taylor is the author of the House bill and represents the Petersburg area.
“It created penalties for sex offenders who would go into our state parks and go around playgrounds. It required people to be 100 feet away from children,” said Taylor.
“In the case of state parks, we still have a problem of identifying what in a 500 acres constitutes the premise,” Watts explained to 7News. “So this is why it didn’t move further this year. But it definitely is an issue that we are taking very seriously and want to get it right.”
Watts said Fairfax County has had eight years to create a policy to ban sex offenders from their rec centers – pointing to legislation lawmakers passed years ago.
“And we did it eight years ago because of our deep concern of exactly the situations that you’ve described,” said Watts.
When it comes to McKay’s newsletter, Democratic State Senator Stella Pekarsky told 7News Reporter Nick Minock, “What’s in question in this circumstance is a Fairfax County policy, not the bill introduced in Richmond this past session. The onus is on the Board of Supervisors to take accountability and make use of their power to respond.”
“It is my hope that the finger-pointing every time there is a problem would stop and necessary actions be taken,” added Pekarsky.
7News requested interviews with McKay for this story three times, but he did not respond.
We will let you know if the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chooses to change their rec center locker room policies.
7News was the first to report that Cox visited at least eight gyms and pools last year in Fairfax and Arlington Counties and allegedly exposed himself to women and girls in women’s locker rooms, including two school locker rooms in Arlington that have pools open to the public outside of school hours.
Right now, Cox faces more than 20 charges in Arlington County, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano is not prosecuting Cox in Fairfax County.
Republican Delegates Mark Earley and Wren Williams said prosecutors like Descano need to do more to protect women and girls.
“Women deserve to have their safety, privacy, and spaces protected – full stop,” Del. Earley told 7News. “Prosecutors throughout Virginia need to be working to ensure the safety of women and girls.”
“Fairfax County officials and Democrats in Richmond are putting the safety of women and children at serious risk by failing to take meaningful action against the growing threats posed by registered sex offenders in public spaces,” Del. Williams told 7News. “There’s no excuse for allowing someone like Richard Cox, a known sex offender with a troubling criminal history, to enter girls’ locker rooms. This isn’t just a mistake—it’s a catastrophic failure of leadership, exacerbated by a Soros-funded Commonwealth’s Attorney who has consistently failed to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. By ignoring the very real dangers these offenders pose, they are choosing political ideology over public safety, and the consequences are not just unacceptable, they are downright dangerous.”