Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker certainly made the most of his time as the commencement speaker at Benedictine College.
The majority of Butker’s speech surrounded the importance of faith in his life, but comments on how women should view themselves in society and the “sins” of the LGBTQ+ community are beyond disheartening to see from a professional athlete.
Benedictine College describes itself as a liberal arts institution that “is the education of men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.”
The school has around 2,100 undergrads, with women making up half of the students who attend the school. So, to a room of about 400 women, Butker told them how they should live to serve men.
“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.”
To feel the need to say this to a crowd of women who have just spent their entire lives to to be a college graduate is so asinine. As a man, to stand up on stage and tell women how they should feel about their role in society is certainly a choice.
If this lifestyle is great for you and your partner that is fantastic, but to tell women their dreams and aspirations should revolve around men is beyond backwards.
These comments were also made with young men in the audience. As a professional athlete, this also confirms that is how men should speak to women, that women should live to serve men.
I am not going to sit here and say I am the true arbiter of the right way to talk to anyone, but we should probably be using our platforms to raise up the voices of others instead of telling people their roles within society. Especially when women are in a continuous fight to be on the same playing field that men created.
Now to talk about his comments toward the LGBTQ+ community.
“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.”
Look, I came out publicly on this website a little over a year ago and have had every comment imaginable sent my way. But most of the decrepit comments saying I shouldn’t be alive came from burner accounts, not a three-time Super Bowl winner.
Target has recently ended its Pride Month campaign over similar sentiments as Butkers. Comments like these only “legitimize” this conversation and makes it more acceptable to treat others as second-class citizens.
I am 110% for the religious freedom of every single person, but that doesn’t mean the personal beliefs of some should result in violence or the creation of laws to subdue others. I understand I am not the target audience of his speech, but the more this rhetoric becomes normalized, the more people will become the target of violence and hate.
If you want to live this conservative and old-school lifestyle, all the power to you, but that doesn’t mean it should be forced on others.
2 Responses
110% agree with you. This guy spends most of his time kicking a football; yet, he feels confident to tell the rest of us what our purpose in life should be.
Wow… Calm down. He said his wife is the best thing that ever happened to him and that women’s most important job is to raise a family. He didn’t say women can’t work. He didn’t say women are bad and stupid. What is going on in this world? 10 years ago this wouldn’t be controversial at all. Are we going to stop celebrating mother’s day next? This world is going completely nuts. This is why people who speak up are so important because this world has been brainwashed. The irony here is the liberals that think capitalism is evil are the ones saying women should be making money for corporations over raising their children. News flash! Being a father is the most important role of a man too. You people need to calm down. When society gives up on the family, society will break down.