Progress & Skepticism: What Angola’s New Penal Code Means for its LGBTQIA+ Community

In 2019, Angolan officials voted to change their penal code to make homosexuality legal in addition to creating protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. This was touted by Western outlets to be a triumph for global LGBTQIA+ activism broadly and Sub-Saharan Africa LGBTQIA+ rights in specific. However, what does the penal code mean for the LGBTQIA+ community living in Angola? While changes in laws bring about new legal rights for individuals, those changes often make minor steps in altering the lives of individuals. Based on fifty semi-structured interviews conducted from 2022-2023 and using a discursive meaning making approach, I argue that while progress was welcomed by global actors, benefits locally were mixed with little progress gained and more skepticism about future action from the government.