I accepted the facts, which means that I don't deny being gay, and I don't pretend to be someone I'm not. However, because of homphobia and prejudice, some people don't accept others who are gay. Gay men and lesbians suffer from discrimination and violence. It's not easy to discover you are gay. People tend to hate or fear what they understand, and many people don't understand being gay.
Some people are just uncomfortable being around gay men or lesbians.
Knowing this, you might choose to hide your gay feelings from others, or even hide them from yourself. Maybe you avoid other kids who migh be gay because of what people will think. When we work this hard to conceal our thoughts and feelings, it's called being in the closet. It can be a painful and lonely place to be, even if we stay there to survive. Not only is the closet a lonely place, but it takes a great deal of energy to do this much hiding.