New York elected officials said they want to sell a controversial statue depicting a male "civic virtue" stepping on female figures of "vice" and "corruption."
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The "Triumph of Virtue" statue, which is more than 100 years old and stands in the city's Queens borough, has been described as sexist by U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., and City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, D-Jackson Heights, because it depicts a nude male figure trampling on a pair of female figures, the New York Daily News reported Friday.
Weiner and Ferreras have suggested selling the statue on Craigslist to raise funds for the city.
However, some officials said they do not want the statue, which used to stand at City Hall until it was moved by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia during his 1934-1945 tenure, to be removed from the city.
"It's been one of the board's top priorities for years to have that statue restored," said Mary Ann Carey, district manager of Community Board 9 in Queens. "We're not looking to destroy art."