‘In the end, being courageous starts with the small things,’ he said, addressing the blowback from his speech.
Harrison Butker has broken his silence on the backlash from his recent speech at a Catholic college in Kansas that encouraged women to become mothers and homemakers, telling an audience on Friday at an event in Tennessee that despite facing a “shocking level of hate” for his remarks, he remains unapologetic in defense of traditional values.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker said during a May 24 gala in Nashville, Tennessee, that he stands by his conservative convictions and has zero regrets for his May 11 remarks as a guest speaker at a college in Atchison, Kansas, when he criticized transgenderism and warned women against falling for “diabolical lies” that the only path to a fulfilling life is pursuit of a career rather than becoming mothers and raising children.
After taking the stage at Friday’s gala, whose theme was “Courage Under Fire,” Mr. Butker said that the fallout from his speech proves that traditional values are under assault in modern-day America.
“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” he said.
He said he’s aware of having become a “more polarizing” figure the more he’s spoken out in defense of traditional values, adding that he looks to his Christian faith to give him the courage to face whatever backlash comes his way.
“If I constantly remind myself of the hardships the saints went through, especially the martyrs in their persecution, it makes it all seem not so bad,” he said. “For if Heaven is our goal, we should embrace our cross, however large or small it may be.”
“Never be afraid to speak out for truth, even when it goes against the loudest voices,” he said. “In the end, being courageous starts with the small things. Being disliked and mischaracterized by some is nothing compared to finding yourself in a lion’s den.”
By Tom Ozimek
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