Over 100k sign petition calling for Chiefs to dismiss kicker Harrison Butker over controversial commencement speech

More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for the dismissal of Harrison Butker from the Kansas City Chiefs after the kicker's controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College, where he encouraged graduating women to become homemakers.

In his remarks, Butker said a homemaker is the "most important" title a woman can hold while urging women to not feed into the "diabolical lies told to you."

He also railed against "dangerous gender ideologies" in an apparent reference to Pride Month in June and slammed President Joe Biden's "bad policies and poor leadership."

"Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder," he said.

His speech generated massive backlash. Now, a Change.org petition is calling for his employer to take action.

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 111,000 people have signed the petition callong for the "Kansas City Chiefs to dismiss Harrison Butker for discriminatory remarks."

According to Change.org, more than 80% of those people—roughly 91,000—signed today.

"His comments were sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist," the description of the petition states. "These dehumanizing remarks against LGBTQ+ individuals, attacks on abortion rights and racial discrimination perpetuate division and undermine human rights."

It later adds: "We demand accountability from our sports figures who should be role models promoting respect for all people regardless of their race, gender identity or sexual orientation. We call upon the Kansas City Chiefs management to dismiss Harrison Butker immediately for his inappropriate conduct."

Signatories to the petition condemned Butker's comments, with one person writing that she is "exhausted from men telling women what to do with their lives."

"I am a woman who just graduated with a degree and will not stand for men continuing to push the idea that all we are good for is homemaking," wrote another person. "We are resilient and strive to beat down these ideals."

"Stop giving men microphones," quipped another signatory.

While the petition has gone viral, not everyone is backing its goal of getting Butker fired.

"Guys, you can just disagree with him," wrote Mary Katharine Ham.

"Uh…you’re free to do what you want, but why don’t you just disagree with him and leave it at that?" echoed former GOP presidential candidate Joe Walsh. "Why do you have to try to get him fired?"

Wrote a separate right-wing commentator: "we need to acknowledge the fact that this is an attack, by change.org, on religious liberty."

The NFL, for its part, distanced itself from Butker's stance in a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday.

"Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, said in a written statement. “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.”

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