Lawmakers in the Seychelles on Wednesday approved a bill that will add an LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes provision to the country’s penal code.

The National Assembly by an 18-8 vote margin approved the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The hate crimes provision specifically includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and HIV/AIDS status, among other factors. The bill states anyone convicted of a hate crime based on the outlined characteristics could face a fine and/or up to two years in prison for the first conviction and a fine and/or up to three years in prison for any subsequent convictions.

“The inclusion of hate speech as an offense within the penal code (Cap. 158) provides for the intention to incite hatred towards a person or group of persons based on their protected characteristics, through various forms of communication or behavior, if the expression is perceived to be threatening, abusive or insulting,” said Attorney General Frank Ally in a July 1 letter that detailed the bill.

Human Dignity Trust, a London-based NGO, in a press release notes it has since 2020 “provided legal assistance” to Ally’s office “to draft the hate crime components of the bill.” The group also highlighted Mark Walters, a professor at the University of Sussex in England, “for his invaluable expertise and contribution to the drafting process.”

“The changes to the penal code will provide new and meaningful protections for people targeted simply because of who they are, and encourages marginalized communities to report crimes,” said Human Dignity Trust Chief Executive Téa Braun. “By enacting this law, the Seychelles has taken a strong stance against hate-motivated violence, ensuring that the most vulnerable members of society are protected.” 

South Africa is the only other African country that includes sexual orientation and gender identity in its hate crimes law.

Seychelles in 2016 decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations.

BY BRENDA WINTRODE and PAMELA WOOD | Maryland’s Senate race is one of a handful of federal races poised to decide which political party wins control over Congress. That means there’s plenty of polling, as the candidates and other interested parties search for indications of which way voters will go.

Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan and Democrat and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks are vying for the open seat, along with Libertarian Party candidate Mike Scott and independent candidate Patrick J. Burke.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected]. 

Congratulations to Joanna Hoffman, the new Communications Director for LPAC, the national political organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ women and nonbinary people to public office. LPAC Interim Executive Director Janelle Perez said, “We are thrilled to welcome Joanna Hoffman as our new Communications Director. Her impressive background, spanning over a decade in LGBTQ communications, will be an invaluable addition to the team here at LPAC.”

Prior to this, Hoffman served as Communications Director for Athlete Ally and was Events and Communications Manager for Peace is Loud in New York. She has also been a Special Projects Manager and Program Associate with Women Deliver in New York; and Partnership Coordinator with The Synergos Institute. 

Hoffman is an award-winning poet honored by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change for LGBT Advocacy Through Art. Her full-length book of poetry, “Running for Trap Doors” (Sibling Rivalry Press) was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and featured in the American Library Association’s list of recommended LGBT reading. She lives in Houston with her wife, two stepsons, and dog. 

Congratulations also to reporter and editor Jeffrey Schmalz, film critic Kevin Thomas, and editor and songwriter Judy Wieder, the 2024 inductees into the NLGJA LGBTQ+ Journalists Hall of Fame. 

The LGBTQ+ Journalists Hall of Fame was launched to honor outstanding LGBTQ+ journalists who have exemplified the association’s mission to advance fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities and issues. To date, the LGBTQ+ Journalists Hall of Fame has honored 56 individuals, living and deceased, who have left a lasting mark on their profession.