Queens Lawmakers to Remove “Sexist” Statue
A Controversial statue may no longer have a home in Queens.
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner joined other Queens lawmakers in demanding that the City remove what they see as a “sexist” statue and eyesore in Kew Gardens, Queens. Wiener wants the city to put the statue up for sale on Craigslist to raise money for the borough.
The nearly 100-year-old statue, Triumph of Civic Virtue, depicts a man representing civic virtue stepping on the two sirens ‘vice’ and ‘corruption’. Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-Jackson Heights) said it sends the wrong message about women. “It really is a point and time in history for us as women to say that there is no room for this type of art in a public space.”Councilwoman Ferreras wants to use the money to help with women’s issues and domestic violence problems in Queens.
The statue has been in Queens since the 1940s, but not everyone is against it. Some community members think the city should pay to refurbish the decaying artwork.
