The word closet was first used to mean secret or unsuspected as early as the 1600s, but not in relation to a person’s sexuality. Closeted also came into use around the same time and meant to keep something hidden or secret from others. Closet case, closet queen, or closet homosexual began to be used during the middle of the 20th century to mean that someone was hiding their homosexuality from others. Similar terms used around this time period were canned fruit, cedarchest sissy, and dry queen, which have now fallen into disuse.



According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first printed use of the term coming out of the closet to describe declaring one’s sexuality, was written by Sylvia Plath in the January 16, 1963 issue of London Magazine. It is also believed to be the first time that these two terms were combined into one phrase, and a new meaning was born. By the 1970s, coming out the of closet had come into common usage and come out or coming out was often used as a shortened version of this longer phrase, although coming out can also be a reference to the social custom of a debuntante coming out as mentioned above.



Come out, coming out, and coming out of the closet are terms that are now mostly used in reference to a person telling family members, friends, coworkers, or others that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Our language and the meanings of words are constantly changing and evolving, just as our society changes and evolves. Perhaps at some point in the future the phrases coming out of the closet and coming out will no longer be a necessary part of our language as people become more accepting and comfortable with their own sexuality, and the sexuality of others.



Sources:



Dictionary of American Slang, 3rd ed., HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1997.

The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., vol. III, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1989.

The Queen’s Vernacular: A Gay Lexicon, by Bruce Rodgers, Straight Arrow Books, San Francisco, 1972.

Word’s Out: Gay Men’s English, by William L. Leap, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1996.





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Response last updated by gtho4 on Dec 22 2016.

Apr 14 2008, 3:39 PM