FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — On Tuesday, Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity introduced a board matter to request the county to discuss changing its policy that allowed a male sex offender to use multiple Fairfax County rec center women’s locker rooms.

However, no other member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors seconded Herrity's motion and therefore, it failed.

Fairfax County's policy allows biological males to use biological female locker rooms and facilities at county rec centers.

7News was the first to report that sex offender Richard Cox, 58, visited three county rec centers and allegedly used female locker rooms, sometimes exposing his body to girls and women.

According to Fairfax County, Cox visited Oakmont Rec Center, Franconia Rec Center and Audrey Moore Rec Center last year.

Cox is facing more than 20 charges in Arlington for using female locker rooms at two schools and a county rec center where he allegedly exposed himself.

"all persons should have access to the facilities corresponding to their gender identity." The policy goes on further to state "No individual shall be asked to provide any medical or legal documentation of their gender identity in order to have access to gender-appropriate restrooms, sleeping quarters, locker rooms, or changing room facilities." The Park Authority references the need to comply with this County policy for their written and operating policies concerning restrooms and locker room use.

Interestingly, the Park Authority has always had a policy that requires children over 7 to use the appropriate locker rooms or alternatively the family restroom for the comfort of their patrons.

Over the last several weeks there have been numerous media and police reports of an individual that exposed himself in high schools, recreation centers, and a private fitness center in both Arlington and Fairfax County. This biological male who identifies as a female (except on the sex offender registry), used the current County and Park policies to repeatedly enter women's locker and restrooms in the County. In the case of Fairfax County Park facilities, this individual was allowed to repeatedly access the restrooms despite reports of patrons complaining that the individual was exposing male body parts in the women's locker rooms. Patrons were told to use the family restroom if they were uncomfortable with a naked man in the women's restroom. It turns out that this individual was a Tier III (the worst kind) registered sex offender. Prior to and when finally confronted by police, he cited County policies for allowing him to enter the women's restrooms. The grandmother of one of the young girls that encountered this individual shared with me that she is still traumatized by the incident. Her granddaughter had to run into a bathroom stall and lock herself in until she felt it was safe to run out of the restroom. I also spoke to the father of the girl who summed it up by saying "It is simple, do you want grown naked men alone in locker rooms with young girls and women. It either stands or it doesn't. This is not the first time the region has dealt with issues with men entering the women's bathroom or locker room. We are all familiar with the incidents in Loudoun County schools where a young woman was assaulted in a women's restroom by a man wearing a skirt. In Fairfax County this behavior and the trauma it caused woman and young girls was allowed to continue for weeks and was only stopped because he was ultimately identified as a Tier IlI sex offender. Had he not been a registered sex offender, the behavior would have been allowed to continue. No woman or young girl should have to be traumatized by this activity and this policy needs to be reviewed and revised. When the safety of children is put at risk in the name of trying to protect the rights of another segment of the population, then the pendulum has swung too far and we must find a better solution. There are gender neutral restrooms available to meet the needs of transgender persons without discriminating against the rights of the majority our residents. Other jurisdictions are reviewing their policies and I believe it is past time to review ours. The current policy is an invitation for incidents like this to continue to occur in the future and one more incident is one too many.

Motion: Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I ask that this policy be added to an agenda at the appropriate subcommittee for discussion of possible amendments that will protect women and young girls from these types of incidents in the future."