Katy Perry welcomed pride month by editing Harris Butker’s graduation speech on Saturday, June 1. “Fixed this for my girls, my graduates, and my gays – you can do anything, congratulations and happy pride,” the 39-year-old captioned an Instagram post.
The original speech told by the Kansas City Chiefs athlete spoke about the LGBTQ community, abortion, IVF, and even discussed a woman’s title as a “homemaker.” During his controversial discourse, he said, “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…How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? 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.”
The “California Girls” singer decided to change his words to enlighten the month, editing Harrison’s words to say, “For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved at this point in your young lives. How many of you are sitting here, now about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you’re going to get in your career? I would venture to guess the women here today are going to lead successful careers in the world. I say all of this to you because I have seen firsthand how much happier someone can be supporting women, and not saying that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. The road ahead is bright, things are changing. Society is shifting and people young and old are embracing diversity, equity and inclusion. With that said, I want to say Happy Pride to all of you, and congratulations class of 2024.”
Aside from the “Fireworks” singer’s response to the speech, many of his colleagues within the industry also chimed in on the subject. NFL vice president Jonathan Beane released a speech, “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.”
In addition to the comments, Justice Horn – former Kansas City Commissioner – wrote, “Harrison Butker doesn’t represent Kansas City nor has he ever. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms, and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members.”