James Mwape and Philip Mubiana, both aged 22, have been charged with four counts of committing “unnatural” sexual acts in socially conservative Zambia.
Homosexual acts carry a jail sentence of up to 14 years under Zambian law.
The government has resisted pressure from campaign groups and Western governments to scrap the law.
Last month, Zambian human rights activist Paul Kasonkomona was arrested soon after appearing on a live television programme in the capital, Lusaka, calling for homosexuality to be decriminalised.
He was charged with being idle and disorderly in a public place. He denied the charge, and was freed on bail.
‘Medical tests’
Mr Mwape and Mr Mubiana have been arrested twice in the last few days following allegations that they have engaged in homosexual acts, reports the BBC’s Mutuna Chanda from Lusaka.
Police first arrested them over the weekend, apparently after a tip-off, he says.
They were released on bail on Monday after undergoing medical examinations to check if they had engaged in homosexual acts, our reporter says.
Mr Mwape and Mr Mubiana were re-arrested the next day after a relative reported them to police, accusing them of having sex on the night of their release, he says.
The courtroom in Kapiri Mposhi was packed with onlookers as such cases are almost unheard of, our correspondent adds.
The two men were remanded in police custody until their trial starts on 22 May.
In 2011, both the UK and US warned they would use foreign aid to push for homosexuality to be decriminalised in Africa.
South Africa is one of the few African countries where it is legal.
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