During Benedictine College's graduation ceremony, kicker Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs gave a divisive speech that caused a stir on social media. Speaking at the event on May 11, he decried a number of "diabolical lies told to women," including surrogacy, IVF, abortion, and President Joe Biden. His speech has been described as fringe and dangerous rhetoric disguised as profound observations. Now Butker is under fire for delivering a sexist, anti-LGBTQIA+ commencement speech that even quoted his teammate Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
During his 20-minute speech on Saturday at Benedictine College's graduation ceremony, he attacked working women, Pride Month, abortion, and other problems. This caused a quick outrage on social media, and rightfully so. “It is safe to say that over the years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind,” Butker acknowledged before diving into his speech, where he went after various important topics concerning vulnerable groups and President Biden’s “bad policies and poor leadership.” The speech was instantly discussed and has caused quite a controversy around Butker and the Chiefs.
Harrison Butker Makes Wild Speech
Harrison Butker continued his speech, saying, “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.” Butker bemoaned to graduates of the private Catholic institution in Atchison, Kansas, that LGBT people had a "full month dedicated" to their rights, using Pride Month as an example of "the deadly sins" taught in the church. The athlete then told the female audience members that being a homemaker should be their most important role in life. Butker advised the male graduates of the institution to "fight against the cultural emasculation of men" and "be unapologetic in your masculinity."
The three-time Super Bowl champion said to the crowd, "As my teammate's girlfriend says, 'Familiarity breeds contempt,'" using a line from Swift's 2022 song "Bejeweled." Everyone from regular Twitter users to Chiefs fans to Taylor Swift fans and countless others quickly slammed Butker for his wild remarks. Overall, this might cause a problem for the Chiefs. The NFL doesn't want its players talking politics at all, so if they make a special exception for Butker, then it sends a bad message.
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