The nation’s largest LGBT advocacy organization, GLAAD, criticized Harrison Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas, calling it inaccurate, ill-informed, and out of step with Americans. Butker encouraged graduating women to embrace motherhood and criticized “the deadly sin sort of Pride” associated with LGBTQ Pride Month. GLAAD fact-checked Butker’s claims attributing the COVID-19 pandemic to bad policies and leadership, and his comments about abortion, IVF, surrogacy, and euthanasia, pointing out omissions and inaccuracies in his assertions.
GLAAD also fact-checked Butker’s statements about Catholics, stating that his generalizations were at odds with Pope Francis’s support for LGBTQ people. The organization highlighted American Catholics’ higher support for marriage equality for same-sex couples over the past two decades. Butker’s comments about women being told “diabolical lies” and their excitement for marriage and children generated scrutiny from traditional media outlets and social media blowback. Butker also mentioned that for most people, their vocation is to be married men and women, and he emphasized the importance of embracing traditional values in his speech.
The speech’s focus on women’s roles in society and Butker’s assertions about their excitement for marriage and motherhood generated criticism and backlash. GLAAD fact-checked Butker’s claims about the pandemic and issues such as abortion, IVF, surrogacy, and euthanasia, highlighting inaccuracies and omissions in his statements. The organization also noted the discrepancy between Butker’s assertions about Catholics and Pope Francis’s support for LGBTQ individuals.
GLAAD’s fact check of Harrison Butker’s commencement speech at a private Catholic college highlighted inaccuracies and harmful stereotypes in his remarks. The organization criticized Butker’s comments about Pride Month and his attributions of the pandemic and societal issues to cultural values and media. The speech’s focus on traditional Catholic values and women’s roles drew scrutiny from media outlets and social media, prompting discussions about gender roles and LGBTQ inclusion.Essentially, the fact-check points out misstatements and inaccuracies in Butker’s speech, as well as problematic stereotypes and outdated views on gender roles and LGBTQ issues. The backlash highlights the need for accurate information and inclusive attitudes in public discourse, especially in contexts like commencement addresses at educational institutions.
