closet queen

[kloz-it kween]

noun

Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man who denies his sexual orientation to himself or keeps it hidden from others.

closet queen

noun

1. informal,  a man who is homosexual but does not admit the fact

Word History and Origins

Origin of closet queen¹

First recorded in 1965–70; closet (in the sense “secret”) + queen (in the sense of “gay man”)

Related Words

• bio queen 
• drag artist