Recognition of same-sex unions in Angola

The Family Code of Angola recognizes de facto unions but only for opposite-sex couples and bans same-sex marriage.

[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.

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.

[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.

Article 112 of the Code defines de facto unions as the "voluntary establishment of common life between a man and a woman".

[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.