The NFL makes their stance clear on Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s anti-LGBTQ+ speech
The NFL has separated itself from the Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and his conservative comments. On 11 May, the 28-year-old football player delivered a commencement speech for the 2024 graduating class of Benedictine College.
During his 20-minute speech, Butker made an array of shocking statements, with a portion of his remarks undermining women in the workforce. “I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” he said. “I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” Butker also made jabs toward the LGBTQIA+ community and Pride Month, claiming that the world leaders were “pushing dangerous ideologies onto the youth of America” and praising Benedictine students for having pride in their faith before adding, “[but] not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it.” Lastly, the conservative athlete said abortion, IVF, surrogacy euthanasia and “support for degenerate cultural values and media” come from the “pervasiveness of disorder” within the world.
Over the last week, Butker has received immense backlash for his sexist and anti-LGBTQIA+ remarks on social media – with some users starting a Change.org petition to remove him as the Chiefs kicker.
As of this writing, it has earned over 200,000 signatures. He’s even been slammed by Taylor Swift fans for quoting her track ‘Bejeweled’ to drive home his conservative talking points.
