This week, an American football player has hit the headlines. Not for dating the one-and-only Taylor Swift (that’s Travis Kelce), but for revealing himself to be a misogynistic homophobe during a college commencement speech. Introducing Harrison Butker…
The sportsman, who plays for Kansas City Chiefs alongside Swift’s boyfriend, sparked controversy, anger, and discussion after he decided to go off against working women, the LGBTQ+ community, and “degenerate cultural values” in a commencement speech at Benedictine College, a Catholic school in Kansas, last weekend.
Butker gave the 20-minute address to graduating seniors at the conservative liberal arts college on Saturday, and decided to use his time in front of the graduates to tell them his opinions on the world.
Butker informed students that, as Catholics, they faced many obstacles going forward because they exist in a world where “degenerate cultural values” are supported. Decrying the “poor leadership” of President Joe Biden, he said “major life issues” like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, and euthanasia are being “negatively impacted” in society and spoke of a campaign to push “dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.” He also called Pride Month a celebration of “deadly sins.”
Okay! He wasn’t done, though. Butker also shared his opinions on how the women in the audience should live their lives. Mainly, that they should aspire to be a “homemaker” and shouldn’t use birth control.
“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you,” Butker said. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, 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.”
He also quoted a woman he referred to as “his teammate’s girlfriend.”
“Familiarity breeds contempt,” he said, referring to Taylor Swift’s song “Bejeweled.”
It’s important to note that this isn’t the first time Butker has shared these beliefs. He’s been incredibly vocal about his commitment to conservative Catholic doctrine, and has appeared in political ads promoting abortion restrictions. He also appeared earlier this year at a Christian men’s conference alongside Senator Josh Hawley, which…yikes.
What does the internet think?
Unsurprisingly, people are pissed! There’s just so many things wrong with everything Butker said.
As one woman on Twitter eloquently put it: “Harrison Butker, a dude I had never heard of until today, did a bang-up job of becoming one of the most hated men in North America in the space of one 20-minute speech full of bigotry and misogyny. Fuck this guy. This is insane.”
Since the speech went viral over the weekend, the backlash has only grown. Butker has been criticized by a former female sideline reporter, and a change.org petition to kick him off the team has more than 19,000 signatures.
“We demand accountability from our sports figures who should be role models promoting respect for all people regardless of their race, gender identity or sexual orientation,” it reads.
What do the Chiefs say?
As of this writing, neither the Chiefs nor the NFL have issued a public statement in response. But with the controversy only growing, it may just be a matter of time before they have to.
A version of this article first appeared on GLAMOUR US.