Harrison Butker
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The NFL has responded to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College in which he condemned abortion, euthanasia, IVF, surrogacy and the LGBTQ community. He also denounced the “evil lies told to women”, suggesting that reinforcing traditional gender roles is the best path.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in its commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger. »
During her 20-minute speech, Butker told the graduates: “How many of you are sitting here about to take this step and thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to achieve during your career? Some of you may go on to successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are very excited about your marriage and children.
The athlete continued: “I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly began when she began to live her vocation as a wife and mother.” He added that Isabelle embraced “one of the most important titles of all” as a housewife and claimed her partner would “laugh out loud without hesitation and say ‘fuck no'” if asked if she regretted not to pursue his own career.
Butker then urged the graduates to “be unapologetic about their masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men.”
The NFL player also referenced Taylor Swift with lyrics from “Bejeweled” while explaining why bishops shouldn’t “get too familiar” with parishioners: “As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘the familiarity breeds contempt.”
His comments have since gone viral, with many people online condemning his comments. LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD was among those responding to Butker’s claims. “Traditionally, commencement addresses are intended to celebrate and inspire graduates and their families,” wrote GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis.
Ellis continued: “Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker’s keynote speech was not only a blatant failure, it was inaccurate, misinformed and woefully out of step with Americans on pride, LGBTQ people and women.”
News Source : www.hollywoodreporter.com
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