Former football player Colton Underwood was not a fan of Harrison Butker’s controversial graduation speech, especially with its dig at Pride Month.
“Here’s what I’ll say about Harrison’s speech because I’ve seen a lot of comments say, ‘Well, he has the freedom of speech and this was at a Catholic institution.’ I get it and I get that his faith is very important to him,” Underwood, 32, said in a Friday, May 17, Instagram Story video. “But, what I also understand is he has a responsibility having the platform that he does to choose to spend his time giving that speech to leave students feeling empowered and excited about taking on the next chapter of life.”
He continued, “To take a shot saying, ‘The deadly sins of pride,’ knowing that there’s at least one LGBTQ+ student — at least one out there — in that audience is just crippling to that human. To hear that their life is a deadly sin on a day that is supposed to be exciting?”
Butker, 28, delivered the commencement address at Kansas’ Benedictine College earlier this month. In the speech, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker included a pointed dig at the LGBTQIA+ community.
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“Benedictine has gone from just another liberal arts school with nothing to set it apart to a thriving beacon of light,” Butker, who is a practicing Catholic, said. “I’m certain the reporters at the AP could not have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine wouldn’t be met with anger, but instead met with excitement and pride, not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify him.”
Underwood, meanwhile, publicly came out as gay in April 2021. Two years later, he married political strategist Jordan C. Brown. Amid Underwood’s coming out journey, he became an impassioned advocate for the community and further noted on Friday that Butker’s graduation speech was more “divisive” than an uplifting message to the 2024 graduates.
“[Harrison] should have used his time to not be divisive and be more positive,” the former Bachelor added. “There’s enough going on in our world right now that we need more love.”
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Underwood also acknowledged in his social media caption that Butker had the right to share his beliefs but likely did not think about the potential backlash.
“You get to have your free speech but you also have to be prepared for the consequences when you [sic] words hurt people,” Underwood wrote alongside his video.
Butker has not publicly addressed the criticism of his speech, which also took aim at IVF and surrogacy as family planning methods. He also called on the female graduates to give up their career ambitions in order to have the “most important” role as a stay-at-home “homemaker.”
