The controversy in Gettysburg over the contract renewal for tennis coach Sasha Yates has brought into sharp relief the lack of legal protections for LGBTQ+ people from blatant discrimination in Pennsylvania.
LGBTQ+ individuals do not enjoy the same explicit protections under Pennsylvania state law as minorities or people with disabilities. Pennsylvania does prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sex, however. And the state’s Human Relations Commission has passed guidance interpreting this to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
But that’s not enough. The state legislature should move immediately to provide clear protections for LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania and ensure what many fear is happening in Gettysburg doesn’t happen again.
No one should face discrimination because of their sexual orientation. No one should face obstacles to securing housing or access to services because they are gay, lesbian, or transgender. No one should be denied a job or face being fired because of their sexual orientation.
But supporters of Coach Yates believe that is the reason she hasn’t gotten her contract renewed to continue teaching tennis.
PennLive’s Zack Hoopes reported last week that Yates has served as coach for Gettysburg girls and boys teams since 2018. Yates told Hoopes she came out as male-to-female transgender person in November 2021.
Now, her contract is up for renewal, and the school board is deadlocked on whether she should be rehired. Many parents and students who support Yates believe the issue is her sexual orientation, and they say it shouldn’t be.
We agree. The only issue should be if Yates is doing her job. From the turnout of supporting students and parents at last week’s board meeting, she is.
School board Vice President Michael Dickerson sought to play down concerns that bigotry against LGBTQ+ people is at the heart of the divide over Yates’s contract. But many of those who attended last week’s board meeting are not convinced, especially given what many supporters described as her excellent record of service and dedication as an educator.
Hoopes reported that dozens of people spoke at the school board meeting, and only four did not speak in support of Yates.
Board members who oppose her rehiring point to an alleged “personnel issue,” but offer no details. Some have expressed concerns about Yates using the girls’ locker room and vague allegations she did not maintain professional boundaries with students.
If there are legitimate personnel issues, parents deserve to have that information. But whispering and vague innuendo only feed into perceptions that the real issue is bigotry against LGBTQ+ people. And it should be illegal in Pennsylvania, as it is in many states across this nation.
Yates clearly has community support, including that of many parents. And she lauded the school administration for accepting her gender identification. She’s even identified according to her preference in the school’s coaches directory.
The community’s response and that of her colleagues is encouraging. It should galvanize state legislators to close this gaping hole in laws that are supposed to guarantee equal protection for all citizens of the commonwealth.
Pennsylvania’s House has done its part and voted this year to provide protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ people. It’s time for our state senators to get off the dime and do the same.
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