Meanings
- humorousoftenUsed in reference to someone whose sexual orientation or gender identity is widely known despite not being acknowledged.
“Little boy—you are gay.” / “No, I'm not,” I say. / “Oh, you really are,” she says. She's insistent, but not mean. My closet is made of glass and she can see right through it.
2023, William Lee Adams, Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision, New York, NY: Astra House, →ISBN, page 1171 more example
I spent my high school years in the closet. I remember a friend messaged me saying, “Just come out already, it’s fine, just be who you are.” He didn’t know I was queer, but I guess the closet was made of glass. In his mind, he was being supportive; in mine, he was increasing the turbulence I already felt about my sexuality and identity as a teen.
2022 November 1, K-Ci Williams, “Kit Connor, Star of “Heartstopper,” Came Out as Bi. He Shouldn’t Have Had To”, in Teen Vogue
Origin
An extension of the metaphor in the closet, compare glass closet.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
the closet is made of glass. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20closet%20is%20made%20of%20glass
“the closet is made of glass.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20closet%20is%20made%20of%20glass. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the closet is made of glass,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20closet%20is%20made%20of%20glass.
Source: the closet is made of glass on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.