Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker says Pride Month is an example of ‘deadly sin’ during commencement speech

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker referred to Pride Month, the June events that demonstrate inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ+ community, as an example of the “deadly sins” while advocating for a more conservative approach during a speech at Benedictine College. brand of Catholicism.

“Not the kind of Pride of deadly sins to which an entire month is devoted,” Butker said, “but the true, God-centered pride that works with the Holy Spirit to glorify Him.”

Butker spoke for more than 20 minutes to students at the Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas, and said he wanted the graduating class to avoid involving political leaders in social issues that affect their relationship with the church.

Butker, 28, criticized an Associated Press article about the U.S. Catholic Church that described the institution’s shift “to the old ways.” It highlighted Benedictine rules that “resemble precepts from a bygone era,” including “volunteering for prayers at 3 a.m.” and “the ban on pornography, premarital sex and sunbathing in swimsuits.”

Butker said the story was an “attempt to reprimand and embarrass places like Benedictine,” and that it would be met with “pride” rather than “anger.”

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, a nonprofit LGBTQ advocacy group, said in a Wednesday statement that Butker’s speech was “inaccurate, ill-informed and woefully out of step with Americans on Pride, LGBTQ people and women.” ”

“Those with extensive platforms, especially athletes, must use their voices to increase and expand understanding and acceptance in the world,” she said. “Instead, Butker’s comments undermine experiences that are not his and reveal him as someone who goes against his own team’s commitment to the Kansas City community and the NFL’s standards for respect, inclusivity and diversity in the entire competition.”

Benedictine, a university with more than 2,100 full-time students as of September 2022, describes itself as a liberal arts institution focused on “the education of men and women within a community of faith and leadership.” Butker, who called on religious leaders to “stay the course and lead the way,” praised Benedictine for embracing what he called traditional Catholic values.

“If you embrace tradition, success, worldly and spiritual, will follow,” Butker said.

In October 2014, the school ordered basketball player Jallen Messersmith to remove a Pride flag from his dorm room window.

Butker also used the speech to criticize President Joe Biden on several issues, including abortion and the coronavirus pandemic, and questioned Biden’s commitment to Catholicism. Butker also addressed gender ideologies, saying a woman’s most important title is “housewife.”

‘It is you, the women, against whom you have been told the most devilish lies. Some of you may have 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,” Butker said.

The Chiefs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Although the NFL is not active during Pride Month, the league participates in LGBTQ+ initiatives. On the Wednesday before Super Bowl LVIII, the NFL hosted a “Night of Pride” event in partnership with GLAAD, the LGBTQ+ advocacy group. The Chiefs are among the NFL teams that have a rainbow Pride apparel selection.

Kansas City is one of several North American cities hosting Pride events in June, led by the KC Pride Community Alliance.

Butker is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs. He was a seventh-round draft pick in 2017 and made 33 of 35 field goals in the 2023 season.

(Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images)