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Angola does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions. The Family Code of Angola recognises de facto unions but only for opposite-sex couples and bans same-sex marriage.
While many modern-day Angolan cultures historically practiced polygamy, there are no records of same-sex marriages as understood from a Western perspective being performed in those cultures. However, there is evidence for identities and behaviours that may be placed on the LGBT spectrum. [1] Early Europeans to visit modern-day Angola, including anthropologists, ethnologists and priests, reported "same-sex marriage ceremonies" among the Ovimbundu and Ambundu peoples, the two largest ethnic groups in Angola, as well as the smaller Ovambo and Herero peoples, who mostly live in neighboring Namibia. [2] [3] Ambundu culture traditionally recognized "powerful diviner and medicine men" known as quimbanda , who were "reputed to gain [their] powers by ritual sodomy". [4] The quimbanda "dress[ed], [sat], and [spoke] like women, and married men just as if they were women". Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba is known to have acquired a harem of wives, who were biologically male but dressed as women and took on female gender roles. [5] Ovimbundu society likewise recognized people fulfilling a third gender role, known as chibanda, who "[were] men attyred like women, and behave[d] themselves womanly […] and also married to men". British-American ethnologist Wilfrid Dyson Hambly reported in 1937 that an Ovimbundu informant had said that in Mbundu society, "There are men who want men, and women who want women." [2] [6]
These customs disappeared with modernization and the introduction of Christianity and Western culture to Angola in the late 19th century and early 20th century. [7] In 2007, a local anthropologist was quoted as saying, "Angolan society is not yet prepared to accept homosexuals. The local culture, which is influenced by Christianity, calls for the perpetuation and expansion of the family. Homosexuality is therefore viewed as an affront to the laws of nature." [8]
Due to family pressure, many gay men "use marriage as a way of avoiding stigma, but once married, continue to have occasional sex with other men." [9] The National Institute for the Fight Against AIDS (INLS) has reported that this taboo has impacts in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Angola, as messages about safe sex were "exclusively tailored to heterosexuals", leaving gay people "neither informed nor protected". [8]
On 6 May 2005, a same-sex couple, Aleksander Gregório, 21, and his partner, known only as Bruno, 23, held a marriage ceremony at the Hotel Presidente in Luanda and signed a letter of commitment in the presence of a retired notary. The ceremony was labelled as "shameless" and "abominable" on the front pages of national newspapers. [8]
The Constitution of Angola does not explicitly forbid same-sex marriages. Article 35 deals with family, marriage and filiation, and establishes associated recognition and rights. It states that "men and women are equal within the family, society and the state, enjoying the same rights and having the same duties." It further notably states that: [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
De facto unions (Portuguese : união de facto) are regulated by the Family Code and can only be recognised if "all legal requirements for the celebration of marriage are met". Article 112 of the Code defines de facto unions as the "voluntary establishment of common life between a man and a woman". Hence, these unions are available only to opposite-sex couples. In 2020, there were more de facto unions performed in Angola than marriages. [15] Article 20 of the Family Code defines marriage as "the voluntary union between a man and a woman." [16] The United Nations Development Programme reported in 2021 that "this regime of family law significantly curtails LGBTI peoples' fundamental rights, and also impacts other laws, resulting in the rights derived from marriage and family being denied to LGBTI persons (e.g. the right of a spouse not to testify before a court of law)." [17]
In 2013, discussions on modifications to the Family Code to recognize same-sex unions were vehemently opposed by religious groups. [18]
The Catholic Church opposes same-sex marriage and does not allow its priests to officiate at such marriages. In December 2023, the Holy See published Fiducia supplicans , a declaration allowing Catholic priests to bless couples who are not considered to be married according to church teaching, including the blessing of same-sex couples. [19] However, the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé expressed "perplexity" at the declaration, and issued a statement that "regarding informal blessings for 'irregular couples' (homosexuals), although it is a sacrament different from the liturgical blessing, we consider that, in our cultural and ecclesial context, it would create enormous scandal and confusion among the faithful, so we have determined that it should not be carried out in Angola and São Tomé." [20] [21]
The culture of Angola is influenced by the Portuguese. Portugal occupied the coastal enclave Luanda, and later also Benguela, since the 16th/17th centuries, and expanded into the territory of what is now Angola in the 19th/20th centuries, ruling it until 1975. Both countries share prevailing cultural aspects: the Portuguese language and Roman Catholicism. However, present-day Angolan culture is mostly native Bantu, which was mixed with Portuguese culture. The diverse ethnic communities with their own cultural traits, traditions and native languages or dialects include the Ovimbundu, Ambundu, Bakongo, Chokwe, Avambo and other peoples.
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
The blessing or wedding of same-sex marriages and same-sex unions is an issue about which leaders of Christian churches are in ongoing disagreement. Traditionally, Christianity teaches that homosexual acts are sinful and that holy matrimony can only exist between two persons of different sexes. These disagreements are primarily centred on the interpretation of various scripture passages related to homosexuality, sacred tradition, and in some churches on varying understandings of homosexuality in terms of psychology, genetics and other scientific data. While numerous church bodies have widely varying practices and teachings, individual Christians of every major tradition are involved in practical (orthopraxy) discussions about how to respond to the issue.
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of which twenty-one are located in South Africa, and one each in Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Saint Helena. In South Africa, there are between 3 and 4 million Anglicans out of an estimated population of 45 million.
Kimbundu, a Bantu language which has sometimes been called Mbundu or North Mbundu, is the second-most-widely-spoken Bantu language in Angola.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Brazil since 16 May 2013 in accordance with a decision from the National Justice Council, ordering notaries of every state to license and perform same-sex marriages. Brazil became the second country in South America to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, after Argentina, and the twelfth worldwide to do so.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Brazil rank among the highest in the world. Same-sex couples in Brazil have enjoyed the same rights guaranteed to heterosexual ones since 16 May 2013, including marriage and adoption. On June 13, 2019, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is a crime akin to racism.
The legal status of same-sex marriage has changed in recent years in numerous jurisdictions around the world. The current trends and consensus of political authorities and religions throughout the world are summarized in this article.
The Ambundu or Mbundu (Mbundu: Ambundu or Akwambundu, singular: Mumbundu are a Bantu people who live on a high plateau in present-day Angola just north of the Kwanza River. The Ambundu speak Kimbundu, and most also speak the official language of the country, Portuguese. They are the second biggest ethnic group in the country and make up 25% of the total population of Angola.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Angola have seen improvements in the early 21st century. In November 2020, the National Assembly approved a new penal code, which legalised consenting same-sex sexual activity. Additionally, employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has been banned, making Angola one of the few African countries to have such protections for LGBT people.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Colombia since 28 April 2016 in accordance with a 6–3 ruling from the Constitutional Court of Colombia that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional under the Constitution of Colombia. The decision took effect immediately, and made Colombia the fourth country in South America to legalize same-sex marriage, after Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. The first same-sex marriage was performed in Cali on 24 May 2016. Colombia has also recognised same-sex de facto unions, providing some of the rights and benefits of marriage, since 2007.
Laws governing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are complex and diverse in the Americas, and acceptance of LGBT persons varies widely.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Ecuador since 8 July 2019 in accordance with a Constitutional Court ruling issued on 12 June 2019 that the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional under the Constitution of Ecuador. The ruling took effect upon publication in the government gazette on 8 July. Ecuador became the fifth country in South America to allow same-sex couples to marry, after Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia, but adoption by married couples remains restricted to opposite-sex couples. The country has also recognized same-sex civil unions since 2008.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa are in most countries very poor in comparison to the Americas, Western Europe and Oceania.
Nigeria does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions for same-sex couples. Homosexuality among men is punishable with up to 14 years' imprisonment in Southern Nigeria and may result in capital punishment for men in areas under Sharia Islamic law in the northern part of the country. Individuals who "perform, witness, aid or abets" a same-sex marriage may face severe penalties.
This article is intended to give an overview of the history of LGBT rights in Brazil.
Same-sex marriage is legal in the following countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay. Same-sex marriage is recognized, but not performed in Israel. Furthermore, same-sex marriages performed in the Netherlands are recognized in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
Chibados are third-gender people, born male, who lived most often as women. They were found among the cultures of the Ndongo and other parts of what is today Angola. They were first described in the west by the Portuguese.
The Catholic Church has intervened in political discourses to enact legislative and constitutional provisions establishing marriage as the union of a man and a woman, resisting efforts by civil governments to establish either civil unions or same-sex marriage.
Same-sex unions are currently not performed in Namibia. The Supreme Court ruled 4–1 on 16 May 2023 that same-sex marriages concluded outside of Namibia should be recognised for residency purposes. A bill seeking to overturn the ruling is currently pending in the Parliament of Namibia.
Status of same-sex unions around the world | ||
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| Americas | ||
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| Europe |
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| Oceania |
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| Antarctica |
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