VIENNA, Austria – A businessman has agreed to remove the “misogynistic” urinals from a public restroom near Vienna’s opera house.
The urinals, which are located in the “Opera Toilet,” a lavishly decorated public restroom, feature thick, lipsticked lips, a set of teeth and a bright red tongue.
“We think that it’s tasteless, misogynistic and offensive,” said Marianne Lackner, media spokeswoman for the Vienna Department of Women’s Affairs.
The department said it was appealing to the owner’s good will, but it was also exploring the possibility of legal action.
Neuhold Gerhard, owner of the toilet’s operator, Neuhold Gerhard Limited, said in an interview Thursday with Austrian public radio that he would remove the urinals.
“If there is such outrage in Austria then it’s not a problem,” he said. “We will remove them in the next 14 days.”
Gerhard added that he thought it odd that public interest has only now been focused on the urinals, which have been around for three years.
“The thing that surprises us the most,” Lackner said, “is that no man has ever said anything about this.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
