Despite the disappointing outcome of Tuesday's elections, there were some bright spots that show the electorate isn't totally lost.
Loudoun County, Virginia, is no stranger to controversy. It's the county where a "trans-identifying" male student sexually assaulted a girl in a school bathroom, only to be moved to another school where he did the same thing again. It's also the district where a "trans-identifying" girl filmed boys in the locker room, and the boys were punished for it. Loudoun was also helped by a judge who tried to thwart their parents' lawsuit by demanding a $125,000 bond to allow the suit to proceed.
Thankfully, Democratic Loudoun County School Board member Arben Istrefi was ousted last week and replaced by Amy Riccardi. Riccardi said the district's insane trans policies were what propelled her to victory.
Amy Riccardi, who ousted Democratic Loudoun County School Board member Arben Istrefi in last week’s election in the bluest part of Loudoun County, said a big reason why she won is because voters in her area are fed up with the school board’s policy that allows students to share… pic.twitter.com/jBZh91IszC
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) November 12, 2025
Minock notes Riccardi won in the "bluest part" of Loudoun County, an area that is a "majority minority district with a high concentration of Hispanic, Indian, and Middle Eastern residents." That's notable, too.
In an interview with Minock, Riccardi said, "I actually think what's happening here in Virginia is the transgender issues are one bucket, and the bathroom policy is another bucket."
"We want to make sure all of our transgender kids and all of our students in LCPS feel safe in their learning environment. Absolutely. And frankly kids and teenagers, it's all about exploring life and how they're going to fit into it.
"But on the other hand," Riccardi continued, "Parents don't want boys and girls sharing bathrooms, locker rooms or sports. They just don't. I got asked dozens of times a day by people, are you going to protect my daughter in the bathroom? Are you going to keep the boys and girls out of each other's spaces? And the answer to that is yes."
Riccardi was a former Division I volleyball player and a coach, and her experiences informed her policy. "Having played myself, I don't understand why any sane, common-sense adult would want our kids sharing bathrooms. It's a recipe for disaster."
"There are other policies that we already have in place that protect our transgender kids," Riccardi said. When asked if she was going to pursue a repeal of LCPS's bathroom policy, she said, "I am."