Seychelles will scrap colonial-era law banning gay sex
Popular holiday destination the Seychelles is hoping to open its arms to LGBT people – by moving forward with plans to scrap a law banning gay sex.
Section 151 of the country’s Penal Code states that a man who has sex with a man “against the order of nature” can be jailed for up to fourteen years.
The law is a hang-over from British colonial rule, and convictions are already very rare – but the Seychelles government this week renewed a push to scrap the law entirely.
The country has seen a boon in European tourism after the newly-wed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – Prince William and Catherine – spent their honeymoon there in 2011.
Tourism accounts for nearly 20% of GDP – and the industry employs 15 percent of the country’s workforce. However, it has largely remained a ‘no-go’ area for LGBT tourism due to the penal code
According to the Seychelles News Agency, the government has put forward a bill this week to remove the anti-gay law.
Attorney General Ronny Govinden acknowledged that international pressure had been a factor in moving forward on the issue, saying: “It is a priority for the country because whenever the Seychelles is participating in an international convention… we face pressures from other countries who are asking us to remove this law.”
He added: “This is a simple amendment to the penal Code which can be done by the National Assembly and this avoids conflict.
“This amendment will just decriminalize homosexuality in Seychelles.”
Foreign Affairs Secretary Barry Faure specifically noted pressures from the UK government, adding: “Seychelles was committed in 2011 to review the law on homosexuality and this had not been done and Britain questions us saying that we have not made progress on this issue.”
