Monette would later describe this life in the closet as hindering his personal development as a child, as he was forced to deny a part of his identity that was seen as sinful by everyone around him. For the majority of Monette's childhood, he felt suffocated and alienated by the strict, religious atmosphere in which he was raised. The rigid social confines of his suburban, middle-class upbringing placed Monette in a position where life in the closet seemed to be the only option.

Monette was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and graduated from Phillips Academy in 1963 and Yale University in 1967.