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West Hollywood Becomes 1st-Ever US City To Ban Sale Of Fur

WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBS) — City Council members have voted to approve an ordinance that prohibits the sale of animal hair, wool or fur as clothing or other personal attire.

The vote came after a seven-hour meeting that ended early Tuesday morning.

Animal rights attorney and co-organizer of Fur Free West Hollywood Shannon Keith told KNX 1070 it was the right thing to do.

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"Animals suffer immensely for the use of fur," said Keith. "Animals are skinned alive, they're beaten, they're stomped on, they're gassed...it's a horrible thing all in the name of vanity."

Keith believes while the ban is long overdue, it's not likely to do much lasting harm to the local economy.

The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce disputed that assertion, along with the board of the "Avenues: Art, Fashion and Design District" which claims the ban will limit the city's reputation for creative expression in the field of high fashion.

"It's a significant loss of revenue to the city," Keith Kaplan of the Fur Information Council said. "It's a significant loss of image as a fashion destination to the city."

Ellen Lavinthal, co-organizer of the Fur-Free West Hollywood campaign, applauded the vote and hopes for the campaign to catch on globally.

"This will be the first city in the nation and possibly the world — we've been trying to confirm that — but this will be the first city to pass [a law banning fur] that we know of," she said.

City officials will iron out the details — including date of implementation and civil penalties — before the next council meeting, the Associated Press reported.

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