In Africa, the act of homophobia is supported by a large number of presidents. Protests against people involved in these same-sex relationships have increased in Africa because they are seen as a taboo that could ruin family values. Political leaders have strongly opposed homosexuality because they consider it un-African and something that could damage the traditions of Africa (Msibi, 2011:56). But to say that homosexuality is anti-African is to support an act that aims to hide the truth about homosexuality behind deception and the use of male authority figures. The term homosexual is a term that does not come from Africa. It's a Western term. This term controlled relationships on a social scale in the West and also gave a label to those people who had homosexual relationships. Being known as a gay or homosexual person allowed people to feel a sense of collective identity. It made people in same-sex relationships feel like they had their own community and gave them a sense of belonging. In many African countries, same-sex relationships are not made public. Being involved in such a relationship can lead to being discriminated against or even executed. In most African countries, being involved in same-sex relationships has been made illegal and is a punishable crime. In Malawi, two men were sentenced to fourteen years in prison for publicly celebrating their engagement and, due to widespread uprising in the Western world, they were granted amnesty on humanitarian grounds (Msibi, 2009: 58). The worst case so far has occurred in Uganda, where an anti-homosexuality bill was proposed and recently implemented. This bill states that homosexuality is a crime that...... middle of paper ......all wives must guarantee their autonomy. There seemed to be a clear separation between sex and gender: women could be male and vice versa (Msibi, 2009:65). Economically strong women could take many wives to assert their power. This therefore leads to the conclusion that same-sex relationships are nothing new on the African continent. This ultimately shatters the idea that Africans were heterosexual before Europeans arrived in the country. The only thing that is new and non-African is the identification and labeling of the act. Forming an identity around being homosexual is the un-African thing that many politicians and religious leaders refer to. The desire to have a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex is not a problem brought by Europeans because it evidently existed in Africa for centuries before colonization.