The View’s Joy Behar tells LGBT+ people to ‘come out’ to their families at Thanksgiving and ‘see what happens’

Coming out to your family is an extremely personal experience that should only be done on your terms, whenever you feel ready to do so.

It can be nerve-wracking to share this part of your life with your folks and you certainly don’t need to feel any pressure to do so.

That’s why when The View host Joy Behar suggested on-air that members of the LGBTQ+ community should “just come out” during Thanksgiving to their family and “see what happens” it’s sparked heavy backlash online.

While talking about tricky conversations families have at the dinner table during the holiday Behar suggested, “Everybody out there, come out to your family this Thanksgiving,” adding: “Just come out!”

Watch the exchange around the 1:12 mark in the video below:

While Behar presumably said this with the best intentions in mind, it ultimately missed the mark.

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A confused Whoopi Goldberg asked her co-host, “Come out … the door?”

To which Behar clarified: “Come out …come out as gay!”

“If you’re gay, come out. Meaning be your authentic self,” Behar said. “I’m old enough now, I know that life is short, because it went by like that (snaps). I say that you should be yourself, this is my philosophy in life.”

She added: “My whole thing is you come out and be yourself, don’t let anybody tell you what you have to be in life.”

Online, many felt as though Behar, a cis straight woman, oversimplified the emotional strain coming out to your family takes.

“I just want to know why @TheView still has @JoyVBehar on the show it’s time to put her away coming out of the closet is not as simple as she is claiming it to be …” wrote one.

Another person tweeted: “I sorry eh but I don't agree with Joy Behar. Coming OUT is a process. Telling you family you GAY is one step. Dealing with the psychologically fallout us another. I don't believe anyone should be forced to come OUT. If you GAY, you GAY. It's nobody's business. Let people live!”

One Twitter user wrote at Behar directly saying, “is coming out a Joke to you? How dare you take a very important and sensitive moment in someone who is part of the LGBTQIA Community & turn it into a joke? Some have been shunned from their family because of it. Not a joke. Be ashamed.”