(gg)


"Sexist" urinals sell out

VIENNA (Reuters) - Four urinals shaped like a woman's lips were sold on eBay Sunday for a total of 5,343 euros ($6,877) after their owner removed them from a public toilet in Vienna following protests that they were sexist.

Designed by Austrian artist Rudolf Scheffel for the "toilet-bar Vienna" next to the National Opera, the urinals featured lips covered in red, orange or blue lipstick, a bright red tongue and gleaming white teeth.

The urinals were in the toilets for three years but raised an outcry in the run-up to Austria's October 1 parliamentary election when they were used by political party supporters attending rallies nearby.

Women's rights campaigners said the urinals were sexist and misogynist. The toilet's operator Gerhard Neuhold said on eBay they would be restored to their original condition before being delivered to their new owners.

One of the two red-lipped urinals proved most seductive in the auction, raising 1,510 euros from Austria-based eBay user "abv06." The other three went to another bidder in Austria, according to the eBay online auction web site.

Neuhold told Austrian tabloid newspaper Kronen-Zeitung that the amount was at the lower end of the range of his expectations. He will donate a quarter to a charity.