When Chris Muriithi (they/them) woke up to a stream of messages and missed calls one morning six years ago, their blood ran cold. Their foreboding grew into trepidation when they realised why everyone was reaching out: they had been outed as gay and the news was trending online. In the years that followed, Muriithi shuttled between fear that their identity would open them up to attack in a country where same-sex activity is criminalised, grief at some family and friends distancing themselves over the news, and anxiety over how the revelations would affect their daily life. Many LGBTQ+ people in Kenya remain in the closet for fear of being ostracised or facing reprisals, such as losing work or being kicked out of their homes. “[Being outed] exposed me to the realities many people in the community face, where your identity is used as a weapon against you,” says Muriithi, who decided to go public as gay and non-binary on their own terms in a 2021 TedTalk.