Rebecca Julienne: Seychelles’ LGBTI association supports law on hate speech for “human dignity”
LGBTI Sey is a non-governmental organisation set up in 2015 regrouping the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex persons in the country. It advocates for equal human rights, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity and its current strategy is to increase visibility and awareness on LGBTI issues.
The organisation currently has around 200 members.
SNA spoke to its chairperson Rebecca Julienne, who assumed the position in 2022, on the evolution of the association and the challenges it faces.
SNA: What would you say are the main challenges you’ve faced since you took this position in 2022?
RJ: I think my biggest challenge has been the enormity of the role itself. Having so many people of different walks of life depending on you to have their best interests at heart and to deliver on those interests has been by far the most challenging thing but also the most rewarding.
SNA: The LGBTI Sey Association currently has around 200 members, would you say you receive enough support from the members of the association? Are they engaged enough?
RJ: I would say that the community is of course much larger and that we are constantly on the lookout for innovative ideas for our events from new and engaging individuals, some of whom have already approached me directly to either offer financial or technical support. I would be much happier with more engagement, however.
SNA: What about the LGBTI community, who are not members, are they engaged with the association? What kind of activities does LGBTI Sey do to promote engagement?
RJ: The activities we host are always open to the public. I stand by the Association being a human rights group and so always support our events as welcoming spaces for members, non-members and human rights activists alike.
There have been interactive workshops in the past and our social media accounts are still promoting events. Of course, due to last year’s registration issue, we took a hiatus to reformat our administrative framework and re-strategise to best suit the community’s current needs.
SNA: What is next for the Association?
RJ: Now, we are recruiting. I am happy to say that the Association’s constitution is being amended to provide greater spaces for outside ideas to be incorporated into our calendar of events. We are rebranding to make sure that younger community members have a greater say on how the Association can better meet their needs.
SNA: The recent hate speech amendment bill was adopted by the National Assembly, for the Penal Code to include hate as an aggravating factor in offences based on a victim’s actual or perceived protected characteristics. What are your opinions on this?
RJ: As I said, I consider the Association’s work as a branch of human rights activism. Seychelles has been a leader in this for as long as I can remember. We are a people who pride ourselves on being a melting pot. I think this hate speech amendment is a definite move in the right direction towards a country we can all proudly say supports human dignity and fights for it to be upheld.
SNA: Do members of the LGBTI community in Seychelles face a lot of stigmas?
RJ: Stigma has always existed in any country. Whether a lot or a little, it is still a stigma and the community definitely faces it. We do however, have immense support and this gives me hope that within my lifetime, Seychelles will hold itself accountable to all its people and give them all the same liberties to be themselves. We are only as strong as our diversity.
SNA: What more does the LGBTI community expect in Seychelles?
RJ: There is no such thing as more. The country is only as strong as its most vulnerable people. All Seychellois are owed the right to live safely and thrive in their own country and to that end contribute to their country to the best of their ability. No one can be their best and do their best in an environment that stifles their authenticity.
SNA: Would gay marriage and adoption be subjects that the LGBTI Sey community have discussed before? Are these causes that the Association, and the community expect to support in the future?
RJ: This has always been a subject of discourse and one I strongly believe should have ended a long time ago. Two consenting adults who love each other and want to show that love through marriage, absolutely, the Association supports it. And what child does not thrive in a home where their caregivers do not love each other. There are far too many children without loving homes in the world.
SNA: What is your opinion about the current state of affairs in Seychelles for how the LGBTI community is treated?
RJ: We could do better. We should do better. We must be better.
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