Female Veterans statue on hold because of pants?

Impasse threat shadows female veteran statue

By Lawrence Messina - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Sep 7, 2008 16:31:42 EDT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — To artist Joe Mullins, recent history appears ready to repeat itself.

Mullins was hired nearly 10 years ago to sculpt a statue to honor West Virginia’s female veterans. But a fight over the design all but derailed the project five years ago.

Mullins now worries that a new attempt to complete the memorial is headed toward the same fate.

The Division of Culture and History has refused to fill its two seats on a new, 13-member committee assigned to assess the project and find it a permanent home.

Mullins says that could leave the committee dominated by older veterans who dislike his statue, which was developed and approved by a different committee at the beginning of the decade. These critics have argued that the statue is too masculine, and should be wearing a skirt instead of fatigue pants.
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