A commencement speech by Kansas City Chief’s kicker Harrison Butker has sparked a culture war on social media after he encouraged women to be homemakers, and slammed President Joe Biden, surrogacy and a “growing support for degenerative cultural values.
A video of the NFL player’s commencement speech at Benedictine College shows Butker coming out against Pride Month, the coronavirus pandemic, transgender people, women in general and Taylor Swift in particular.
“Not the deadly sins sort of Pride that has an entire month dedicated to it,” Butker said, “but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the holy ghost to glorify him.”
Butker went on to comment on “dangerous gender ideologies” and Biden’s “bad policies and poor leadership.”
“Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally,” he said.
“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder,” he said.
Part of the speech centered on the prospect of women choosing careers over homemaking.
“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you,” Butker said.
“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world,” Butker said. “But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.
“I’m on this stage, and able to be the man I am, because I have a wife who leans into her vocation,” Butker said.
Referring to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship with Swift, Butker quoted a lyric from Taylor Swift’s song “Bejeweled” while criticizing some priests for being too close to their parishioners.
“As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘familiarity breeds contempt,’” he said.
Social media users have circulated the video of Butker’s speech, which has now amassed over 180,000 views on YouTube.
Responses to the speech ranged from a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees of the May 11 commencement ceremony at the college in Atchison, Kansas, to being blasted by Maria Shriver, the Los Angeles Chargers, a petition on change.org and the NFL.
The National Football League condemned Harrison’s speech at Benedictine College saying Butker’s comments do not reflect the views of the professional football league.
“His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” the league’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, Jonathan Beane, told People Wednesday.
The Chargers mocked Butker in their schedule release video, showing him cooking in a kitchen, then causing a fire as a Sims character.
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