So There's a Naked Donald Trump Statue in the Castro Now [NSFW]

Another day, another way in which the run-up to this year's election feels less like an actual political process taking place in the United States in the year 2016 and more like, I dunno, a sentient Monty Python sketch that was funny at first but then rapidly got way out of hand.

The latest: A naked, none-too-flattering statue of real estate tycoon and presidential candidate Donald Trump appeared this morning at Jane Warner Plaza in the Castro; according to the Washington Post, similar statues appeared in public spaces in New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

The statues, to which SF Weekly tipped us early this morning, are the work of guerrilla/anarchist artist collective INDECLINE, who left placards bearing their name and the project's fairly straightforward title at each statue's base.

The group told the Post through an anonymous spokesperson that “like it or not, Trump is a larger-than-life figure in world culture at the moment. Looking back in history, that’s how those figures were memorialized and idolized in their time — with statues.”

The collective also posted the video below to YouTube, answering some of the "how" questions surrounding these statues, if not necessarily the "why"s.

Of note: The artist, going by Ginger here, seems to be kindred spirits with Los Angeles artist Illma Gore, who was banned from Facebook and eBay in March after her nude portraits of Trump -- which depict the politician with, shall we say, smaller-than-average equipment in his nether regions -- went viral.

But apparently size truly doesn't matter -- at least not to the city government departments tasked with setting and enforcing rules about nude statues in public places. As of this writing, the statue in New York City's Union Square had already been removed. (Ours here in San Francisco is still hanging out, wearing a "Make America Gay Again" cap.) Asked for a statement, NYC Parks Department spokesperson Sam Biderman issued the following:

"NYC Parks stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small.”

Update, Aug. 19: Our local nude Trump was removed by city workers this morning, but word on the street is Irish bar Lefty O'Doul's is working to provide it with a new home.