Angola

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

31 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

30,000 MSM

UNAIDS, 2018

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

Very little data has been publicized about the estimated SGM population in Angola, as many SGM people do not feel comfortable coming out. UNAIDS estimates the population of Men who have sex with men is 29,400. There are virtually no formal events or organizations for SGM’s, and many queer people conceal their sexualities within heterosexual marriages (Reddy 2011). However, in early 2019, Angola made significant legal advances to protect sexual minorities. The new Penal Code repealed the previous section that criminalized same-sex consensual acts, and went so far as to criminalize acts of discrimination based on sexual orientation. (ILGA World Report, 2019).

Angola's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION

Marriage for Same-Sex Couples	No
Civil Unions	No
Joint Adoption	No
Second Parent Adoption	No

PROTECTION

Employment Nondiscrimination Laws	Yes
Broad Protections	Yes
Criminalization of Violence	Yes
Ban of Conversion Therapy	No

CRIMINALIZATION

Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?	Yes
Gender	Does Not Apply
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)	Does Not Apply

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Sessions. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2020, from https://www.achpr.org/sessions/resolutions?id=322

Angola Decriminalizes Same-Sex Conduct. (2019, January 23). Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/23/angola-decriminalizes-same-sex-conduct

Invisible and vulnerable. (2008, June 19). The New Humanitarian. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2008/06/19/invisible-and-vulnerable

Jjuuko, A., & Tabengwa, M. (2018). Expanded criminalisation of consensual same-sex relations in Africa: Contextualising recent developments. In A. Jjuuko, N. Nicol, R. Lusimbo, N. J. Mulé, S. Ursel, A. Wahab, & P. Waugh (Eds.), Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights(pp. 63–96). University of London Press; JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5132j6.10

Mawerenga, J. H. (2018). The Homosexuality Debate in Africa. In The Homosexuality Debate in Malawi(pp. 157–204). Mzuni Press; JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvh8r18v.7

MÜLLER, A. (2016). Health for All?: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and the Implementation of the Right to Access to Health Care in South Africa. Health and Human Rights, 18(2), 195–208. JSTOR.https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/healhumarigh.18.2.195

Reddy, V., & Sandfort, T. G. M. (2011). Securing the voice of African men who have sex with men (MSM) within HIV & AIDS development policy and programming in eastern and southern Africa: country level reports. http://repository.hsrc.ac.za/bitstream/handle/20.500.11910/3438/7242.pdf?sequence=1