Facts and Research

Around the period of 1885, prior to colonisation, many African societies had diverse attitudes toward same-sex relations, with some cultures even accepting or integrating such practices into their social norms.

Sources:

• Marc Epprecht, Heterosexual Africa? The History of an Idea from the Age of Exploration to the Age of AIDS (2008) — a peer-reviewed academic history that documents specific pre-colonial societies with same-sex practices (e.g., among the Azande, Nzema, and others) rather than a general claim.
• Stephen O. Murray & Will Roscoe, eds., Boy-Wives and Female Husbands: Studies in African Homosexualities (1998) — case-by-case ethnographic and historical documentation, society by society.