By Natalie Daniels | Independent Women’s Network
Ten years ago, the idea that an dxecutive directive issued by the governor would be necessary to prevent a Tier III sex offender from entering the women’s locker room and exposing himself to women and girls would seem absurd.
Yet this is the present-day reality of life in northern Virginia.
In the past three years, five northern Virginia school districts have created such a harmful and toxic environment for female students that the federal government had to intervene and cease funding until the schools agree to remove the so-called “inclusive” rules that violated Title IX. But even faced with loss of federal funding, these school districts doubled down.
The end result has been the introduction of Richard Cox – a Tier III sex offender who claims to be a transgender woman – into our community’s most private spaces heretofore reserved only for women and girls.
The silence from Virginia Democrats – notably, former Democrat Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, candidate for Virginia governor – is deafening. If the chilling details of Cox’s internet history – which show that he had children’s swim schedules on his phone as well as child pornography on his computer – can’t convince Spanberger and her Democratic colleagues that policies allowing males into private, female spaces are wrong, I am not sure what will.
That they cannot even condemn the actions of this predator because it would lead them into an uncomfortable place in regards to their allegiance to gender ideology should disqualify every single one of them from office in Virginia. They utilize the language of emotional abuse to shame and terrorize into silence anyone who would speak up for the dignity of women and girls who simply want to access the opportunities and rights they deserve under state and federal law. They clearly do not have the interests of Virginians at heart.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Directive 14, which he just signed in order to protect women’s and girls’ sex-based rights, should never have been necessary. Virginia public schools have historically ranked as some of the best in the nation, especially in the northern Virginia region, where many families choose to move precisely for the schools. Now, because of the incomprehensible actions of the leadership of these schools in Northern Virginia, these schools are a national disgrace.
I applaud Youngkin for taking a hard stand in support of women and girls across our commonwealth, and I hope that we have finally reached a tipping point where these schools will be brought back to reality and undo the dangerous policies that have caused irreparable harm to so many students and members of our community. The leadership of Youngkin, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, and Attorney General Jason Miyares should inspire confidence in Virginia voters that at least one party understands the importance of protecting women and girls in Virginia. No one should bend the knee to an ideology that protects predators.
Natalie Daniels is a member of Independent Women’s Network, XX-XY Athletics ambassador, and advocate for women’s sports.