Benedictine College Graduating Student Says She Booed Harrison Butker, But He Got ‘Standing Ovation’
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker received a standing ovation from many in the crowd at Benedictine College after his controversial commencement address, but Susannah Leisegang wasn’t one of the people who stood up.
Leisegang, 21, graduated from the college last week and explained in a TikTok video that she and a few other women in the crowd booed Butker after his May 11 address.
“Yeah, it was f–king horrible,” she said in her video. “Some of us did boo, me and my roommate definitely did. There was a standing ovation from everyone in the room except from me, my roommate and 10 to 15 other women.”
Butker, 28, has come under fire for the content of his speech, in which he criticized LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, suggested women should be “homemakers” and blasted President Joe Biden for his stance on abortion rights.
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“You also have to keep in mind that this was at a Catholic and conservative college,” Leisegang explained. “So a lot of the men were like, ‘F–k yeah.’ They were excited.”
Respuesta a @Kiki Thank you to everyone congratulating me it means so much?? butkercommencentspeech benedictinecollege
In the speech, Butker addressed the men, telling them to be “be unapologetic in your masculinity.” He said of women, “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 the children you will bring into this world.”
“Most of the women were looking back and forth at each other like, ‘What the f–k is going on? Did he just come here to speak about politics and his views on women?’” Leisegang continued.
Leisegang, a Denver native and former member of the Benedictine track team, says she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and will be “working for a nationwide magazine company” on its design and photography team.
“So, yeah, I’m excited for what my career brings me and no, I’m not a f–king homemaker,” she said. “Getting married and having kids is not my ideal situation right now.”
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Butker added in his speech that his wife, Isabelle, whom he married in 2018, “would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” The pair share two children.
The kicker’s own mother, Elizabeth Butker, is an accomplished physicist at Emory University.
“It definitely made graduation feel a little less special knowing I had to sit through that and get told I’m nothing but a homemaker,” Leisegang said.
In the days since his speech, a number of celebrities have spoken out about it, including Flavor Flav, who wrote via X, “Sounds like some players ‘need to stay in their lanes’ and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches.”
In a statement to People magazine, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane said, "Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger."
