Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley was widely criticized after posting a photo with Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who has been called out for a misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ+ commencement speech criticizing working women, reproductive rights, surrogacy, and LGBTQ+ rights at the ultra-conservative Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.
Hawley—who has said that reading the Bible is the key to addressing a crisis of "disappearing manhood" and "traditional masculinity" that is taking the country by storm—came to Butker's defense by sharing a photo that... does not look at all like one that would be applauded by MAGA conservatives.
The photo shows Butker and Hawley sitting across from each other, smiling, and looking like they stepped out of a modeling catalog—or a gay club on Saturday night. They look preppy and the "masculinity crisis"-obsessed Hawley's muscles are absolutely popping.
Hawley captioned the photo:
"Never more proud to call Harrison Butker my friend."
You can see his post below.
@HawleyMO/X
Hawley's post only adds to the controversy surrounding Butker, who urged male graduates to "fight against the cultural emasculation of men," claimed that "abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerative cultural values in media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder."
Addressing women graduates directly, he added:
"For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you."
"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."
Butker also claimed that he is "beyond blessed" because his wife Isabelle "would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.” He said her "dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you ask her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud without hesitation, and say, 'Hey, no.'"
The football player also denounced Pride—a celebration of LGBTQ+ solidarity and identity as resistance to discrimination and violence—as "dangerous gender ideologies," further describing it as a commemoration of "deadly sins ... that has an entire month dedicated to it." He called on graduates to adhere to "the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the holy ghost to glorify him."
Considering Butker's blatant homophobia, people thought it was notable that the photo made him and Hawley look like a bit more than just friends.
Butker's remarks about women are odd given that his mother is a clinical medical physicist who works in the department of radiation oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.
Butker's mother pursued a medical career, drawing inspiration from her father, James Keller, who dedicated almost three decades of his life to Emory's Winship Cancer Institute. Keller's tenure included 13 years in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, followed by another 15 years in the Winship Department of Radiation Oncology, as documented on the institute's website.
Interestingly, Butker was also called out for his remarks by The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, nuns who live at the conservative school. In a statement, the group said that Butker's commencement address does not "represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested."
They added:
“Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division. One of our concerns was the assertion that being a homemaker is the highest calling for a woman. We sisters have dedicated our lives to God and God’s people, including the many women whom we have taught and influenced during the past 160 years."
"These women have made a tremendous difference in the world in their roles as wives and mothers and through their God-given gifts in leadership, scholarship, and their careers."
“Our community has taught young women and men not just how to be ‘homemakers’ in a limited sense, but rather how to make a Gospel-centered, compassionate home within themselves where they can welcome others as Christ, empowering them to be the best versions of themselves. We reject a narrow definition of what it means to be Catholic."
Hawley has made similar remarks in the past, urging women to give up their careers for their husbands and declaring that "the Left" is hurting "the future of the American man" and went on to claim that the "deconstruction of America begins with and depends on the deconstruction of American men."