The president of MCCC says signs posted around the county are glaringly incorrect.
These signs say “MCCC allows MEN in girls bathrooms.” They can be seen in front of houses in the county and were spotted at the Monroe County Fair.
“The signs are blatantly false,” Quartey said.
In a now-deleted Facebook post from August, the Monroe County Republican Party said, “We are creating quite a stir with the signs around the Monroe County fairgrounds informing people of the radical MCCC bathroom policy!”
The signs quickly gained traction and spread throughout the county. Two are located across from campus on Raisinville Road and others are located on state Route 50. These came along shortly after MCCC ordered and installed 50 signs by restroom entrances on campus, which state, “You are welcome to use the restroom that best aligns with your gender identity.”
In response to these signs, Quartey published an article in the Monroe News on Aug. 11, titled “Restroom use is a human right, not a political issue.” In this, he said MCCC is simply complying with state and federal law, as well as staying consistent with MCCC’s nondiscrimination policies.
Quartey said he didn’t want to respond to the signs by firing back at them, so he created his article.
“I don’t think they’re really worth responding to,” Quartey said.
Jenna Bazzell, associate professor of English, said she first saw a sign across from campus on July 29 while driving to the college.
Bazzell and Melissa Grey, professor of psychology, said students were disturbed by the signs. Grey said she hopes more people speak out about possible concerns. Bazzell and Grey are co-chairs of the Gender & Sexuality Alliance on campus.
Quartey said some members of the Republican Party had reached out to him and said they weren’t responsible– rather, a fringe group was responsible.
“I’m hearing from Republicans who initially came to the meeting and they’re saying they have no idea why the fringe group is doing this,” Quartey said.
Various members of the Republican Party attended recent Board of Trustees meetings regarding the college’s bathroom policy.
The Agora reached out to the Monroe County Republican Party and received no response.
These signs are emerging just before MCCC’s five-year millage renewal on Nov. 5. The millage is a property tax, which will be used to make improvements to the main campus and Whitman Center.
Quartey said while he is worried the signs will impact the millage renewal, he’s hopeful people will rally in support of the college.
Quartey said moving forward, he does not want to focus too heavily on these signs.
“I’m here to educate,” Quartey said.
Quartey said he supports students at MCCC.
“As president of this institution, I support every single student on this campus,” Quartey said.
