It is now legal to be in queer relationships in Angola, and it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation in a landmark change that is long overdue.

Although the penal code (which was created in the colonial-era) was scrapped in Jan 2019, it wasn’t signed into law by the president until November 2020.

The move came following persistent LGBTQ+ violence and hate crimes. It’s reported that less than two years ago, “the leader of Uganda likened queer people to “terrorists” and last year police violently assaulted queer Nigerians peacefully protesting police violence against the community”. 

Those found discriminating now face up to two years in jail.