Benedictine Graduate Calls Harrison Butker’s Speech “Horrible”; And More Reactions

Harrison Butker, kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, speaking at Benedictine College

Harrison Butker, the Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker, ignited controversy inside and outside Catholic circles due to his anti-LGBTQ+, misogynistic rhetoric during a commencement address he delivered Kansas’ Benedictine College earlier this month . As Bondings 2.0 previously reported, the Benedictine Sisters who helped found the college, denounced Butker’s speech and one Catholic writer detailed Butker’s repeated hypocrisy. Today’s post features more reactions to the football player from Catholics and LGBTQ+ advocates.

Attendees at Benedictine College’s commencement were largely supportive of Butker, giving him applause and even a standing ovation. But some graduates were critical, such as Elle Wilbers who told the Associated Press his anti-LGBTQ+ comments were “horrible.” Wilbers spoke in terms that should make Catholic educators proud for the graduate’s understanding of faith in action:

“‘We should have compassion for the people who have been told all their life that the person they love is like, it’s not OK to love that person.'”

Similarly, graduate Susannah Leisegang agreed it was “horrible,” in part because of how excited and supportive their male peers were. And Kassidy Neuner described Butker’s speech as “degrading,” disregarding female students’ hard work in their undergraduate years.

Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, District of Columbia, told Inside Higher Ed she was “aghast” by Butker, in part because he was diminishing the women religious who founded the college and many others who did much good beyond Butker’s limited vision of a woman. McGuire also labeled the speech was “classist” and “racist.”

Zac Davis, an associate editor at America, said in a column that the speech “isn’t the first time that Harrison Butker has missed wide right,” alluding to the kicker’s failures on the field. Davis focused on how Butker’s views actually “pushed beyond what might be considered ‘traditional’ Catholic beliefs,” such as promoting the idea that Jewish people killed Jesus, a position the church refutes firmly, and claiming the Traditional Latin Mass is God’s preferred form of worship. Davis concludes emphasizing the church’s commitment to social justice:

“Without a doubt, there are things in our culture that the church should stand against. But we should beware that we do not close ourselves off to the world in doing that. For my money, if the church has any chance of growth in our culture, it will need to come from attraction—from beautiful liturgies, yes, but also from our humble service to the vulnerable and prophetic calls for a more just society. And for all the media coverage and viral TikToks about his speech, there was not much in there that was attractive.”

D. Rashaan Gilmore, founder of BlaqOut, which serves Black LGBTQ+ people in Kansas City, called Butker’s speech “galling” and dangerous, chastising public officials who said the speech was simply a diverse opinion. Gilmore noted that allowing harsh language against LGBTQ+ people leads to harm, adding:

“Nobody was spared. . .The thing that was the most galling for me was that he thinks that what he said was courageous. That wasn’t courageous nor was it bold. What is bold, what is courageous, what takes true bravery, is to show up each and every day in society, in your own life as who you fully are, as your full self. And that’s what so many trans and queer people in this community and all over, do.”

Unsurprisingly, conservatives have backed Butker, including Kansas City’s Bishop James Johnston, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, and leaders of anti-choice and anti-LGBTQ+ political groups. Butker’s teammate, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the Chief’s coach, Andy Rudd, affirmed that even if they disagree with some his thoughts, he should have the right to use harmful language and he is still, in Mahomes’ words, “a great person.”

Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, said in a statement that included “fact checks” of the speech, in part:

“Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker’s commencement speech was not only a clear miss, it was inaccurate, ill-informed, and woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people and women. Those with expansive platforms, especially athletes, should use their voices to uplift and expand understanding and acceptance in the world. Instead, Butker’s remarks undermine experiences not of his own and reveal him to be one who goes against his own team’s commitment to the Kansas City community, and the NFL’s standards for respect, inclusion, and diversity across the League.”

The National Football League, through its senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion office, Jonathan Beane, emphasized Butker’s views are in “his personal capacity” and “are not those of the NFL as an organization.” Roger Goodell, the league’s commissioner, said separately it is good that players have “a diversity of opinions and thoughts just like America does.”

But David Dennis, Jr., pointed out in an essay for the sports outlet Andscape that it is unlikely Butker will face any professional consequences for his “barrage of harmful sentences” that turned into “hate speech.” That stance, Davis argues, reveals the NFL’s hypocrisy given Colin Kaepernick, a talented former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was essentially barred from the league for affirming Black Lives Matter. Davis writes, in part:

“You can’t ignore the hypocrisy of people like Kaepernick being told to stick to sports while Butker is praised by those same ideologues for ranting about the LGBTQIA+ community as an abomination. . .The only players who feel the wrath of ‘cancel culture’ are those who actually uplift marginalized communities. The rest who use language and violence to harm the most vulnerable among us won’t feel the wrath of so-called cancellation. That’s just not how this has ever worked.”

Butker was also condemned by Justice Horn, former chair of Kansas City’s LGBTQ Commission; rapper Flavor Flav;  journalist Maria Shriver; and other celebrities. Another NFL team, the Los Angeles Chargers, even mocked Butker in a bizarre Sims-based video for their schedule release which showed a man with Butker’s jersey number cooking at a stove. And “Swifties,” as Taylor Swift’s fans are known, were quite vocal that Butker should not have invoked the artist’s lyrics in such a harsh speech.

Likewise, popular sentiments objecting to Butker’s views have resulted in a Change.org petition with nearly 225,000 signatures that asks the Chiefs to dismiss the player, given his comments “create a toxic environment that hinders our collective efforts towards equality, diversity and inclusion in society” and are “inappropriate conduct.”

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, May 25, 2024