This Sexist Queens Statue For Your LCD Tix!

The statue: then and now

The banished-to-Queens statue that's been dubbed an eyesore and sexist is back in the news today. Apparently Rep. Anthony Weiner wants the city to sell the statue on Craigslist! According to the Daily News, the decaying statue, which depicts a naked man stepping on two women (sirens!), could better serve the community by earning it some cash.

While Weiner has City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras on his side (she wants to sell it to raise funds), not all locals want to see the over 100-year-old statue—called Triumph of Civic Virtue—get evicted. A member of the Community Board 9 in Queens says, "It's been one of the board's top priorities for years to have that statue restored. We're not looking to destroy art."

The statue was originally outside of City Hall, but allegedly moved to Queens after Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia complained about being "mooned" every time he walked out of the building. It now overlooks Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens, Queens. More on the history of the statue can be found here.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on February 25, 2011 12:20 PM

Comments [rss]

James

next these leftwinger are going to want to remove the statues and another pieces of Art from the Museums in the City they find Sexist or what they think is inappropriate

Michelle Langlie

So stupid. I mean, really, this is what keeps Weiner busy these days? Advocating to sell public sculpture? Ugh.

FreeDumb1

uptight is uptight

whitecastlerock

It's a nice statue-this city is too focused on erecting new stadiums to the gods of greed, the Mets and Yankees than to preserve this.

TheOtherBob

Can I protest Anthony Weiner's sexist name?

smorrebrod

Dear Anthony Weiner, I'd prefer it if you go back to Washington and berate Republicans instead of throwing your name behind stupid causes such as this and distributing flyers stating Israel is our best friend.

maatthias

By the way nice title Jen! (LCD tix).

maatthias

Sexist??!! Fer chrissakes... let's put some clothes on that David and Venus of Willendorf while we're at it! Your morals too will pass.

silver

Naked statues were porn 2500 years ago. There were no playboys or internet porn back then.

maatthias

By that do you mean ancients considered them "pornographic"? That word means something different now. Look it up. With statuary isn't it more likely they just really liked to idolize the human body?

Guest

Why would the media it's presented in matter when it comes to classifying it? Porn is in the eye of the beholder.

Guest

How is something that portrays mythical creatures sexist? Also, it's weird that a mayor who was against marijuana taxation and commissioned a committee to prove that its use did not induce insanity or criminality was also a prude.

l3iodeez

I'm no prude, but I'm not sure I would be ecstatic to have to look at a man's naked ass every time I left my office. Even a female ass would be in bad taste, but I wouldn't mind.

Also, LaGuardia was a pothead?