Coach David Yates has been a seasonal boys and girls tennis coach since 2018. But last year he changed his name to "Sasha" Yates, identified himself as female, and caused an uproar by using the girls' locker room and bathroom. Two reported incidents occurred: one in the fall of 2022 and another in the spring of 2023.
On August 7, the Gettysburg Area School District deadlocked on a 3-3 vote to renew the part-time coach's contract. Last Monday (August 21), the district's board of directors voted to remove Yates' name from a list of recommended hires. According to Gettysburg Connection, Yates could possibly be considered for a third time when the board meets again on September 5.
AFN talked to Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania. "Once he came out as transgender last year, they should have set down policies as to what you can do and what you cannot do as far as use of female facilities – and they didn't do that," she points out.
Gramley reports that prior to the vote last Monday, a throng of outspoken parents forced the administration to move the meeting to a larger facility.
"And the majority of those comments were [they] don't want this individual rehired," says the family advocate. "At this point, they've chosen not to rehire him."
Gramley says one of the problems is that Superintendent Jason Perrin admits that the district does not have a policy pertaining to bathroom use.
