Angola

Angola has made progress on LGBTIQ issues; however, LGBTIQ people still face barriers to full equality. In 2019, the Angolan government adopted a new Penal Code effectively decriminalizing same-sex relations and recognized real or perceived sexual orientation as aggravating circumstances in the commission of hate crimes. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is also explicitly outlawed. Despite these protections, LGBTIQ identities are stigmatized and LGBTIQ people continue to face discrimination in employment, education, housing, and healthcare. As there is no process for legal gender recognition or legal protections on the basis of gender identity, transgender and gender non-conforming people are particularly vulnerable.

While acceptance and tolerance of LGBTIQ people have increased, there is a predominantly Catholic and protestant minority who views LGBTIQ identities as a sinful choice. LGBTIQ representation in the media tends to be accurate and largely unbiased. Although one LGBTIQ organization, Associação Íris Angola, is now legally registered and is publicly known as an LGBTIQ rights organization, activists state that it is not generally legally permissible for organizations to explicitly register as such in the country.