Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has announced his commitment to upholding the state's Human Rights Act to safeguard against discrimination based on their exercise of religion.
The politician's message comes in response to a tweet from the Kansas City's official account revealing the city where Harrison Butker resides following his contentious remarks online. But the city's tweet was promptly deleted and a follow-up was issued, stating that the original message was posted incorrectly.
Butker, the celebrated Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl champion kicker, sparked a heated debate with his commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. The speech, steeped in strong religious values, delved into topics such as masculinity, fatherhood, politics, and Catholic ideologies from a conservative standpoint. The discourse, which drew criticism from a vocal online community, has since become a topic of intense discussion.
The kicker faced backlash for suggesting that a woman's primary role is a homemaker. The comments were widely criticized and even parodied by the Los Angeles Chargers in their scheduled release video . In the social media clip, Butker was depicted cooking and cleaning in the kitchen within the popular video game The Sims.
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The NFL swiftly issued a statement aimed at distancing the league from Butker's personal opinions, clarifying that his remarks were made in his capacity and not as a representative of the NFL. Some fans speculated that the league's quick disassociation was a response to avoid any negative association with statements that could be deemed demeaning towards women's rights, particularly after gaining a significant female fanbase last season, possibly due to Taylor Swift 's attendance at several games to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce, who also plays for Kansas City.
The Kansas City Twitter account appeared to distance itself from Butker's comments by tweeting : "Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of Lee's Summit" - suggesting he wasn't a resident of Kansas City. The post was soon deleted.
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The fallout was fast, with over 100,000 people signing a petition calling for Butker's removal from the team. But from a legal perspective, Missouri Attorney General Bailey pledged to advocate for Butker's rights in response to the tweet and subsequent deletion of his whereabouts.
He tweeted : "My office is demanding accountability after Kansas City doxxed [Harrison Butker] last night for daring to express his religious beliefs. I will enforce the Missouri Human Rights Act to ensure Missourians are not targeted for their free exercise of religion. Stay tuned."
The Missouri Human Rights Act is a state law that aims to prevent discrimination in housing, employment, and places of public accommodation. It protects individuals from discrimination based on specific categories, including race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, and age. The Act also prohibits retaliatory actions against individuals who report discrimination, participate in related investigations or hearings, or oppose discriminatory practices.
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