Kansas City Deletes Post About Harrison Butker Following Controversial Commencement Speech

Following Harrison Butker's controversial speech, the city of Kansas City seemingly shared a post that took a dig at the NFL player.

At a recent graduation ceremony at Benedictine College, the Kansas City Chiefs player delivered a speech that some interpreted as advocating for traditional gender roles. He seemingly encouraged women to embrace domesticity and told men to be more assertive in their masculinity, similar to the societal norms of the 1950s.

Speaking to the 2024 graduating class at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, specifically to the ladies, Butker said: "It is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you, how many of you are sitting here now about to cross the stage and thinking about all the promotions and titles you're going to get in your career. 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 children."

He added: "I’m on this stage today, and able to be the man that I am, because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: Homemaker."

According to NewsWeek, the official Kansas City account shared the following: "Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of Lee's Summit." Shortly thereafter, the post was deleted, and the city apologized, claiming it was "shared by mistake."

Mayor Quinton Lucas then responded after a fan asked why the city's post was deleted. “It was not an appropriate post for the City of Kansas City,” he said. “It should not have ever been up.”

He later issued another statement.

“A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account. The message was clearly inappropriate for a public account. The City has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access, and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels," he said.

Since the speech went viral, social media users have continued calling out the NFL player for what he said.

"Harrison Butker, I hope you miss every kick this season and you are hereby banished from the Swiftie-Chiefs Kingdom alliance," one user wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "Disrespecting Pride Month and my trans friends? Nah, bro, we identify YOU and your hateful heart as the problem."

Another said Harrison Butker, "did a bang-up job of becoming one of the most hated men in North America in the space of one 20-minute speech full of bigotry and misogyny. F-ck this guy. This is insane."

Former Kansas City commissioner Justice Horn spoke out on the speech, claiming, "Harrison Butker doesn’t represent Kansas City nor has he ever. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms, and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members."

Butker admitted that "over the years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind." He then discussed how the 2020 pandemic "might have played a large role throughout your formative years."

"Bad policies and poor leadership" had "negatively impacted major life issues," Butker told the graduating class, seemingly bashing President Joe Biden. "Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerative cultural values in media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder."

"We cannot buy into the lie that the things we experienced during COVID were appropriate," Butker continued. "Over the centuries, there have been great wars, great famines, and yes, even great diseases, all that came with a level of lethality and danger. But in each of those examples, Church leaders leaned into their vocations and ensured that their people received the sacraments."

Harrison Butker's full speech can be heard here.