Iris Angola Association

Iris Angola Association (Portuguese: Associação Íris Angola) is the first legally registered LGBTI non-governmental organization in Angola.^[1] The organization was founded in 2013 and became legally registered in 2018.^[2] It is headquartered in Luanda with offices in Benguela and Lubango.^[3]

Activities

Iris Angola is a gay rights lobbying group.^[2] It provides support through human rights advocacy as well as the prevention, treatment and care for HIV.^[4][5][6]

Director Carlos Fernandes participated in a Facebook live event with the U.S. embassy in 2021.^[7]

With the support of the United Nations Development Program, Iris Angola launched a photo exhibition called "See Beyond Your Prejudice" in 2022.^[8][9]

Iris Angola organized the first Miss Trans Angola pageant in 2024.^[10][11] That year, it also argued in for the inclusion on a sexual orientation questionnaire on the country's census.^[4]